Going Through Changes
by Mistrunner
Summary: A Naruto and Werewolf: The Apocalypse crossover - Kakashi has allways had to deal with dramatic changes in his life, but when it all comes crashing down only Sakura can help him: a KakashiXSakura pareing, Chapter 15 up!
1. Ch1: I just don't know

i do dont own Naruto or Werewolf The Apocalypse roll-play game

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Sakura rolled a stone under her sandal and sighed. He was late again; all the time she had known the copy-nin she could not figer out a way to get him to show up on time. Well maybe a bribe of a new Icha Icha book would work but alas there had not been a new book out for years and there was none coming soon.

The pink haired medic kicked the stone and watched it bounce out though the Konoha gates, late or not she was happy to have a brake from the hospital, and even more so to spend some time with her ex-sensei. After Sasuke left Konoha in search of more power and Naruto left to train with the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, the two remaining members of Team 7 had become close.

But something had been off for the past week or so; Kakashi had become easily irritated, to the point that he vaulted over a table to nock out a laughing Genma. The other Jounins put it down to too much sake that night and stress from what happened with Sasuke and Naruto, but Sakura knew it was not that. The look that would flash in his visible eye when his anger flared up was new to her.

There was other, smaller stuff that had changed about him that she was sure no others would of picked up, like how he would make sure no one brushed up agents him when in the bar or just out in town, like his skin was tender and the slightest touch would being pain. Or like no matter how irritated he got, she could always calm him just by stepping into his view, the no touching rule did not apply to her either. He had all so become overly protective of her, and openly as well something very unlike the normal stoic and secretive shinobi.

But one thing that had remain constant about him was that…

"You're late." she sighed not turning around.

Kakashi just gave her his happy eye crease "Well you see…"

"Save it Kakashi-sensei!" she huffed.

"Kakashi-kun, Sakura-chan, kun." he smiled at her though his mask, that was also something new, him pushing her to drop the sensei from his name.

"Ok then Kakashi-kun, save your lame excuses we have to get going." she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

With a nod from the silver haired jounin he pulled out his trusty orange book and the two started off on their mission. The mission itself was nothing too hard, delivering a scroll to another group of Konoha ninjas who would meet them in a small town on the edge of the fire country's border, normally it would not call for a jounin like Kakashi, or even a chuunin like Sakura.

But Kakashi had been taking any mission he could get, hoping this sudden short-temped ness would go away. Sakura was asked to join him by Tsunade, who was the only one to note the calming effect the kunoichi had on the copy-nin, was to find out what was wrong with him.

The pink haired medic stretched her arm above her head, enjoying the pleasant weather as she and Kakashi walked side by side. They had been given a good time frame to get there and back. Too good, Kakashi knew something more was going on and he had a pretty good guess as to what.

"So how have you been Kakashi-kun?" Sakura asked breaking the silent that had settled around them.

"Hmmm, Oh I'm good, been keeping busy as of…. Well… you know."

"Ya" she quietly said as they contued to walk on.

Sakura was determined to get some answers out of him, but she knew better then bombard the man with questions. No. This needed a more settle approach, she decided that she would mix in the questions innocently with idle chitchat, and if that did not work then she would go to plan B. Tying him to a tree and holding his Icha Icha book over an open fire.

Sakura grinned to herself as that image played over in her mind.

The day light faded quickly as the night started to roll in over the sky, picking an area not too far from the road they set-up camp for the night. They set up a few traps but did not bother with a fire, as it was a pleasant night.

"Don't you ever get bored of that book? You must of read it about 200 times over the years I have know you." Sakura asked as she sat down next to Kakashi.

"Nope." was his only replay as he turned a page.

"So, Kakashi-sensei-"

"Kun." he intrepid her.

"What ever," she huffed crossing her arms, "So, what brought over this change in you?"

"I wondered when you where going to ask that." he sighed closing his book.

All was quite between them, Kakashi kept his vision focused strait ahead of him, he was trying to think. What had happened to him? It was not normal frustrason, it was something more. A feeling he had not felt before on this scale, it could only be described as…

Rage.

Yes rage, not hate or anger, but rage in its purest form. Free from any taint of bloodlust or murderous intent, it screamed at him from his heart, echoed in his mind at night. And clawed at his body during the day, it wanted release in a way he did not know how, he felt like running faster and faster till his heart exploded, it made him want to get out under the night's sky. It made him want to hunt.

"Kakashi-kun?" Sakura's voice pulled him back to himself.

"I don't know Sakura-chan." he said as he put a arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him.

It was true he did not know, but what he did know is that he had found a suppressant in her.

"I just don't know." he sighed one last time before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.


	2. Ch2: Two Dreams, One Word

Kakashi found himself running though the forest, his body low to the ground. He made his ways though the trees and undergrowth so effetely it was like they where moving out of the way to let him pass, feeling his team behind him he moved on.

Something felt different some how, he had chased down a lot of enemies but it had never felt like this, the forest around him, his team behind him, and the taste of his prays blood in his mouth. No this was not normal, but somehow it felt right, it exhilarated him and made his run faster.

Then it came into view, the brown and white form of a deer, but before he could question why he was after the animal he was upon it and had slashed it open, its body fell to the forest floor lifeless. He turned around to face his team, who he had yet to lay eyes on, but, they where gone, he could not even feel them anymore.

Panic started to slip into him as he looked around, the forest that was lush and green was now a nightmarish vision, petrified trunks with bare gnarled limes, the ground was dry and they sky was scorched, even the air was hot like it was ready to burst into fire. The deer's body was nothing more then a rotten and maggoty mess.

A roar echoed across the land causing the ground to tremble and Kakashi to cower, heeding the call twisted forms of humans and animals crawled out of the shadows, shrivelled limes and blackened skin, blisters and boils with puss matted hair or fur adorned everyone of the hellish things. Their arms reached out for him with ungodly hunger burning in there eyes.

Kakashi's body would not move, he closed his eyes tight not wanting to see anymore.

He could feel there breath on him, the heat around him, the smell of rotten flesh and then…

"Kakashi, Kakashi-kun wake up!"

His eyes snapped open meeting Sakura's green ones, he sighed in relief, it was nothing but a dream - a really bad dream.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan." he yawned as he stretched lazily.

"Are you ok? You where breathing heavy in your sleep." she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm fine." he gave her his happy eye crease to reassure her.

Dawn had already broken over the land as Kakashi reached for his pack, rummaging around in it to find his food he played over the dream in his mind, along with Sakura's question the night before. But the nightmare took up the foreground of his mind, he had nightmares that bad before, about his father, his friends, but this one seemed almost random he had never hunted deer, or seen a hellish forest like that before.

It was seaming a bit to real.

Sakura sat with her back to him giving him a bit more privacy to eat, it was not that she had given up on trying to see his face, she just knew food would not work. Anyway she had to save her energy, but not for travelling mind you.

Kakashi played the dream over and over in his mind, something was telling him that there was more to the dream then meets the eye. The way he was running was not normal to him, was he on all fours? It did feel like it. He did not even know what he used to kill with, there was no feeling of a kunai in his hand that he could remember, and as his mind rolled over the darker part of his dream there was something more. He had missed it when in the dream, but it had burned itself into his memory, one of the monsters said something.

The word was hard to grasp, like breath on a cold day, but it was there. It rested there on the tip of his tongue bittersweet and demanding to dominate his mouth. But he still could not grasp it, what was it? Garrun? Garau?

"Garou." it slipped out before he had time too realise he had said it.

But that one word had made his heart jump.

"Did you say something Kakashi-kun?" Sakura asked still with her back turned to him, respectful of his privacy.

"Nay, Sakura-chan." he said lazily as he got up to stretch himself fully.

Hearing him get up Sakura took it as a sign that it was ok to face him again.

"Ready to get going?" she asked as she picked up her backpack.

Kakashi already had his pack on his back and his trusty orange book in hand, a simple nod from him signalling he was ready to go. Sakura rolled her eyes at the man as they set off, they knew they would easily reach the town by nightfall so they did not travel as fast as they could.

This day was much like the last one, pleasant weather and pleasant company, the duo talked about anything as they made there way along. Though Kakashi was wondering how long before she would ask that question again.

He had no idea on what to say to her when she did. But he really did not know how this change over him happened, it had seemed to creped up on him slowly then jumped him in the night. The odd dreams he had been having started around the same time as well, there where small at first and would have been easily overlooked but they had grown into something more disturbing.

Maybe it was stress over what happened with Sasuke among other things. Maybe he was thinking into the dreams too much. Maybe he would be fine in a few days, but there was that one word, the single word uttered in his dream. Garou.

Garou…

He had never heard the word before yet something deep inside of him recognised it, it felt important to him in some way. It felt like a key to unlock the questions he had about himself, but it was dangling on a thread just out of his reach.

"Finally" he heard Sakura sigh.

Looking up from his book he saw the town on the horizon, something inside him shifted, something bad was going to happen, he could feel it.

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"Are you ok, Kakashi-kun?" Sakura asked as she sat her pack onto her bed of there shared hotel room.

"I'm fine Sakura-chan." he said eye fixed out the window on the night sky.

"You sure? It took you all day just to read one page of that perverted book of yours."

"It was a really good page." he grinned

"Hentai." she murmured under her breath.

"I heard that."

"Good." she huffed as Sakura flopped onto her bed.

"If you really want to know, I have been thinking about what you asked me last night." he said, still looking outside.

"And?" she asked after he stayed quite for a moment.

"There's a storm coming." he said quietly.

"I did not ask for a weather report Kakashi!" Sakura growled as him.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and gave her his happy eye crease.

"Whatever" she shook her head at him and rolled over to get some sleep, "good night sensei."

"Good night Sakura-chan."

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Smoke. He could smell it. Smoke and blood. Kakashi's eye snapped open when he realised what he could smell, he found himself standing on top of Hokage Mountain looking down on Konoha.

It was a war zone, the hidden village lay in runes ablaze, great plumes of smoke and ash raised up towards the night sky like arms trying to strangle out the starlight. His gaze followed their reach towards the havens what he saw made his heart drop to the bottom of hit gut.

The moon hung in the sky broken in two, and beside it blazed a red star, crimson dust swirling around it. He knew that it was not the red star that you could see from the star village. This one was bigger more sinister somehow, just looking at made him feel like he had been stabbed in the heart.

The earth trembled beneath him causing buildings to tumble into piles of rubble, he saw it, a crack in the ground made it way across the village, as the gash started to open it felt like his chakra was being drained into it. He saw fires starting to burn in the pit, a sickly yellow-green spread across the bottom of the hollow, but still leaving a gapping blackness in the middle.

A pupil.

He could feel the gaze of this hell spawned eye on him, draining his sanity with every passing second, he closed his eyes and grabbed his head as his mind started to spin. But he could still see it. Still feel its gaze, it got worst, but just before he was about to go insane, it let go, leaving his mind quite and calm, echoing with a single word.

Garou..


	3. Ch3: Coming Undone

A/N: hi all, 1st i would like to apologise for the bad spelling that crops up in my writing, atm i have no beta reader and i seem to confuse my spell checker, spelling has allways been my weakpoint as i am dyslexic.

i will try and get part 4 done with no or very few spelling errors and i will go back and fix parts 1-3 too.

i thank you all for your time and support in reading this story. enjoy.

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Kakashi woke up to find himself covered in a cold sweat, sitting up a bit to quickly his head spun and bile started to rise in his stomach. Quickly glancing at Sakura to make sure she was still asleep he peeled off the sweat socked blanket he hurried over to the bathroom. Closing the door behind him and flicking on the light he squinted agents its brightness.

He staged over to the sink as another bout of nausea hit him, he leaned heavily on the porcelain bowl and looked at himself in the mirror. He had slept in nothing but a pare of shorts and his mask with at that time only showed him the paleness of his skin was not confined to his face, pulling off his mask he gasped for air, never before has the thing seemed to suffocate him.

Running the cold tap he splashed some water onto his face and around to the back on his neck, a wayward drip trailing down his back made him shiver. He griped the sink again as pain wracked his body for an instant and leaving as quickly as it had came but left him with the intense urge to vomit.

Gazing into the mirror, he was almost shocked at the face that looked back; it was someone he did not know. His sweat matted hair partly fallen over his face, his mismatched eye glaring back at him with a look that promise a painful and bloody death, his lips set into a feral snarl. It was a look not unlike Naruto had when he used the nine-tailed fox's power.

Then the pain returned tenfold, feeling like his mussels where trying to crush his very bones. Hunching over the sink as the pain took him to a new high, a small "tink" could be heard as the bowl cracked in his grip. His skin felt like it was on fire, sinking to the floor, the cold tiled floor offered some release agents the burning pain of his skin

He scraped his nails along the floor as his back arched as a new wave of pain washed over him. By Kami it felt like his blood was boiling and something inside him was trying to turn him inside out. Using all self-control he could muster he bit back the pain, and forced his body to relax.

It was working, the pain ebbed away leaving only a dull ache, his skin still felt feverish but at least it did not feel like he was on fire, his mind worked over what just happened to him. Gathering his strength Kakashi used the small bathroom wall to help himself stand as he pulled himself into the shower, turning on the cold tap he felt the last drags of pain and fire ebb away with the soothing droplets. But he had to ask.

What the hell was happening to him?

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Sakura sipped at her drink, she had a nice view down the road from her place at the front of the teahouse. It was time for the contact from the other group to meet with them, the information the scroll contained was nothing high class, but they had to be careful with it non the less. Sakura did not mind sitting there dressed as a civilian, between training and missions she never got to spend any time like this.

Kakashi watched her from his seat at the back of the teahouse, the events from the morning gone from his mind. He is a shinobi the mission came first; he could work out his own problems later. Turning a page of his book but finding it did not hold any interest he sighed and went to grab his cup to take a drink when…

Tink.

A crack shot down from the rim of the cup. Kakashi's hand stopped mid air, not to sure if he should pull back or pick up the cup, he shifted in his seat. This was a bad omen, looking up from the cracked cup he saw a tall, slender hazel haired man sit down next to Sakura.

"The tresses really are lovely around here." Sakura said in a charming tone as she took a mouthful of her drink.

"Yes they are, its wonderful that the leaves never fall no matter what the season is." the dark haired man replied, eyes falling anywhere but the pink haired lady next to him.

Sakura picked up her napkin that had been folded on her lap, discreetly hiding the scroll in its folds. Passing the scroll to him under the table as she dabbed her lips with the napkin, he took the scroll and slipped it into his jacket, with a smile and nod to her he got up and left.

Kakashi watched him go, after keeping an eye on the door for a few minutes to make sure no one followed him out Kakashi's gaze feel back to the broken cup. His hand twitched causing his nails to scrape the wooden tabletop, he lifted his hand clenched his fist then relaxed his fingers. It was about time he went, he did not want to risk having another repeat of this mornings event out in the open.

Placing some money on the table he got up and left, brushing past Sakura on his way out. He welcomed the soft breeze on his skin when he got out but he decided best that he not linger. It did not take him long to get back to there hotel room, letting out a soft sigh as the door closed behind him with a soft click Kakashi ran his hand though his silver hair, sighing again he flopped down onto the bed a bit more heavily then he would of liked.

He knew that they had to get out of this town tonight. Why he did not know but he had the feeling like someone's ice cold breath on the back of his neck, he buried his face into his pillow trying to dispel the feeling of dread string in his gut.

He felt the bed dip as she sat down next to him, she had been staring at him for the past five minutes unsure of what to do, carefully Sakura placed her hand on his back, there was a sharp intake of breath from him, making her wonder if it had hurt.

"Are you ok?" Sakura felt stupid for asking the same thing over and over, "And don't say your fine Kakashi-kun, I saw the broken sink and the scratches on the floor."

He turned his head do he could look at her "I don't know, but I'm sure ill be fine in a few days" he smiled at her trying to reassure her, and himself, "but, we should depart from here before nightfall."

Sakura was about to argue with him, but decided agents it, he knew something he was not telling her.

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Kakashi's kunai was in his hand before the owl even finished hooting. Sakura did not bother looking at him with confusion as this was the third time he had done it sense they left town. Another hoot and the copy Nin had fully slid into a fighting stains before the sound faded.

"Kakashi! Its just an owl, not the boggy man!" Sakura growled.

He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile on his masked face but froze when he heard the snapping of undergrowth.

"Somebody call for a boggy man?" a voice slurred from behind Sakura.

She did not have time to react before she felt her arms being pined behind her; boney fingers around her wrists and the ground rushing up to meet her. Sakura tried to look over her shoulder to get a look at her assailant but his body was covers by a large hooded clock, but if his hands where anything like the rest of his body. She shuddered lightly, his hands where ice cold and she could feel every bone in them.

"Sakura!" Kakashi went to attack but soon found himself pined down as well.

He did not know who these men where, but they where fast, silent and unnaturally strong. But the one thing that worried Kakashi the most about them was that they where not using chakra. They where not ninjas. Kakashi left arm was pined to his back, his right was held off to his side where he could not stab his assailant with the kunai.

"That seemed too easy." a third man stepped out from the shadows, his voice was ruff and raw.

He walked over to Sakura crouching beside her he went to run his fingers through her hair.

"KEEP YOU'RE HANDS OFF HER!" Kakashi roared, thrashing about trying to get out of his attackers grasp.

The man got up and walked over to Kakashi, where, he swiftly kicked him on the head knocking off his headband. Kakashi's red Sharingan eye glared at him as he walked back to Sakura not saying a word.

That's when it happened, something snapped, a key deep inside him turned and unlocked the door to a hell these men had called onto themselves. Kakashi felt it, Rage, it seeped into every part of his body and began to change him. His nails slid out turning into long dark claws, he felt his bones and tendons snapping and reforming as his body grew in mass.

Kakashi could taste his own blood as his teeth turned into fangs cutting his gums and lips slightly but this of seemed to fuel him as his clothe tore leaving behind thick fur, his masked destroyed by his now snarling mew.

"What the-"

He was cut off by Kakashi's jaws locked around his neck, all words he tried to make where replaced with the gurgle of blood as fangs punched into his windpipe. His struggles ended with a thick wet snapping sound as Kakashi brought his head back and ripped out his vocal cords. Swiftly followed by racking his clawed hand across the mans chest cutting through bone and slashing his heart.

"Shit! He's full blooded!" the man holding Sakura down cried out.

Unfortunly his cries drew Kakashi's attention to him, gold and ruby eyes locked onto him.

"GET AWAY FROM SAKURA!" the werewolf howled as it leaped at him.

Kakashi's claws dug deep into the man shoulder as he pulled him off Sakura, his over hand grabbed the man's hip as he lifted him overhead and started to pull. Kakashi could feel the fresh blood trickle down his fur covered arms even though they where already matted with blood.

A scream split the air as the flesh gave way and the man was ripped in two, blood sprayed high into the night sky splashing both Kakashi and Sakura. Kakashi threw the legs away like it was nothing more then a broken rag doll, the top half remained twitching till Kakashi clamped his jaws around the head and crushed the skull with one powerful bite.

The final man knew better to hang around he turned to run but it was already far, far to late. He felt the blow to the back but when he looked down he knew Kakashi had done far worse then claw his back, looked down he could see the werewolf's hand and wrist, he had been impaled on the wolf's arm.

Sakura watched as the six-foot wolf best that is Kakashi pull his arm free of the corpse, the memory of when Sasuke was on a rampage when the curse mark took over in the forest of death flashed across her mind. Instantly she found herself wrapping her arms around his waste and pressed her face into his back.

"Stop Kakashi! Please stop it!" she sobbed into his back.

"Sakura.." her name came out like a whimper.

He could smell the salt in her tears over the stench of blood and bile around them, he had frightened her, which was the last thing he wanted to do. They where ok. She was ok, he felt a small sense of relief wash over him as his body started to shift back into his human form; he collapsed to his knees with Sakura still holding onto him.

He turned to face her wrapping his arms around her to pull her into an embrace witch she returned, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"I swear Sakura-chan, you have nothing to fear from me, I would never hurt you." he wisped into her ear.

Hearing some movement he snapped his attention to wards it with a wolf-like growl, standing there was a man, no older then Sakura, with short dark hair wearing a white - all be it dirty - shirt and dark grey pants.

"Shit! I got here to late," he sighed to himself, Kakashi snarled again, holding a shaking Sakura closer to him, the man waved his hands in front of him, "hold it there! My name is Caller-of-rats and I'm a friend!"


	4. 4:Here’s the facts, now What will it be

-1"Easy now, keep taking deep breaths, try to relax and try not to think too hard on the past half hour." Caller-of-rats spoke with a soft tone.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked, eyes narrowing.

"I already told you, my name is Caller-of rats and I'm a friend… well cousin really, you see I'm like you."

"Like. Me?"

Caller nodded "We are Garou."

Kakashi's eyes widened, a thousand things running around in his head. That simple word had plagued him for days and now here it was again.

"I see you recognise the name," his gaze traveled to Sakura, who was still holding on to Kakashi, "is she ok?"

The silver-haired man's attention snapped back to the kunoichi in his arm, "Sakura-chan? Are you ok?"

She looked up at him, even with only the moonlight to light her face he could see that her eyes where red from crying and the tears had stained her face. He went to brush away a fresh tear but stopped when he notes the state his hand was in. it was covered thick with blood, fresh blood.

It was the only thing he could think of at the time to comfit her, so he went with it leaning for would he placed a soft kiss of her forehead.

"Can you find my backpack for me?" Kakashi asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Sakura just nodded not trusting her voice. He shuddered slightly at the lost of her body heat, the reality of what had happened finally starting to sink in.

"I said try not to think about it, I know its hard not to I went through the same thing, something must of told you this was coming right?"

"T-The dreams." Kakashi muttered under his breath.

"I know this part all to well, something inside you snapped and the next thing you know your covered in blood and standing in a pile of flesh and bone that use to be someone," he used his foot to lift the hood on one of the fallen attackers "You did good this time, these things are minions of are enemy, you need to learn control but don't worry that comes later."

"What's going on Kakashi?" Sakura asked quietly as she handed him his broken bag.

"He just went through his First Change," Caller-of-rats said before Kakashi could speak, "Kakashi is a werewolf."

Sakura's eyes locked with Kakashi's. It was odd, there was no fear in her eyes despite her just having witness him turn into a snarling death beast and brutally dismembering people. No. There was no fear at all.

"We have to move quick, there will be more and they will most likely have silver with them."

Kakashi gave a nod to there new friend as he rummaged around in his backpack for his spare clothes, the backpack itself was blood splattered and the straps where torn off, he quickly got dressed as Sakura gathered the rest of his belongings that had been strewn about the clearing. Burning what was too damaged to take with them.

"Leave the corpses, I have a pack mate covering are tracks we have a long way to go and I have a lot to tell you."

So as quickly as they could they moved on would with Caller-of-rats leading the way. Kakashi throw a longing glance behind them, back to where he changed. Where he killed. Where he raged. Saying goodbye to his old life.

"Ok to start off, the things you see about werewolves on the TV and books, most of it us pure garbage, we don't go on a mindless killing spree when the moon is full, and we are not cursed humans, well really we are not human at although we are born from humans or wolves we are."

"Garou." Kakashi breathed.

Caller nodded "You got it, you have good instincts I was worried I would have had to drag you along," he laughed "its an inborn gift from are mother, she has given us a lot of gifts but this one is the hardest to deal with - the one that makes us warriors - the one that makes us monsters - the gift of." he stopped, knowing the copy-nin would say it.

"Rage." Kakashi growled.

"Right, if its one thing that the movies got right is that it doesn't take much to get a werewolf angry enough to kill you. Well that and the silver thing."

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked

"To where my pack has made camp, you see we have no set territory like most packs - we can't stay still for long within areas with hidden villages - there has been a spirit, we call them Kin-Fetch. Watching over Kakashi from birth, it knows when he was going to change and comes to alert us before it happens."

"Why was I not then raised among other Garou?" Kakashi asked.

"It's a long story," he sighed "One I'm afraid I don't have time to tell, but its like that for all of us - even for wolf born Garou, you grow up watching how the humans live, learning from them for a way to better conceal what you are and yes we do have to keep are race hidden, think of the Garou as humanity's hidden village."

Kakashi glanced at Sakura, who was walking along beside him. He wounded what was going to happen to her, Caller just said they had to keep their true nature secret from humans.

"Don't worry, she is what is known as Kinflock, she has werewolf blood in her but is not one herself, we closely work with them sometimes." Caller said almost like he was reading his mind.

Sakura eyes grew wide "I'm what!?"

Kakashi turned to face Sakura, truth be told neater of them really knew how to react to this but they could not ignore what they had just seen, or what they felt.

"I know what you want to say," Kakashi spoke to her in a quite, comforting voice "You want to say this guy is nuts, that we have no resin to believe him, but Sakura," taking a step towards her he closed the gap between them, "something that I can not describe is telling me to trust him."

Sakura met the gaze of his lone eye, there was something unreadable in the way he looked at her "I'm as confused as you are but please Sakura-chan trust me we will be ok."

Sakura wanted to say something but her words where lost in her mind. She wanted to turn back around and go but she could not bring her self to do it, she could not leave Kakashi. Her partner. Her ex-sensei and her closest friend.

Her eyes shot from Kakashi to Caller who was a few steps behind him.

"Trust me." the silver haired mans voice was no higher then the hushed breeze that was drifting through the trees.

Locking eyes with Kakashi ones more Sakura gave him a slow nod of the head.

Kakashi gave a small sigh of relief, taking a step back from her he offered his hand witch to his surprise and delight she took. Wrapping her thin pale fingers around his own bloodstained ones. They tuned to face Caller, telling him it was ok for him to continue.

With a nod and a smile he cared on talking as he went.

"I know this is a lot to take in, and there is much you need to learn about yourself but time is short so lets just say I will tell you the bare bones for now, we are at war cousin."

"War? With who?"

"I'm getting to that" Caller laughed, "you can get stabbed in the hart and still cut your way through a army of shinobi, have more strength and speed then any human can compare too, well we would not have this power if it was not needed, we - the Garou are Gaia's warriors."

Caller stopped and turned to face the newly awakened Garou and his Kinflock friend, his face had a series look on it, " You asked who we where at war with, now please lesson carefully."

In the beginning Mother Gaia sent out three forces into creation, The Wyld - a force of chaos of change a wild force, The Weaver - the spider who wove her web of order of set rules and boundaries, and The Wyrm who was the balance between the two… but somewhere along the line The Weaver went mad, determined to wrap all of creation in her web capturing The Wyrm in the process.

Now the Weaver is still the Weaver. But The Wyrm, now he is something else driven man by its own pain and anger it became hate itself. It lies in a pit at the roots of the universe trashing in constant agony. Each horrible thought it has. Each urge of revenge, each maddened desire to kill, or seduce or destroy. Everyone becomes a spirit of corruption and is let out into the world, they feed on evils they find and get stronger.

Every murder, every rape, every beating it all feeds the Wyrm's children.

"W-Will it ever brake free?" Sakura asked, failing to hide the tremble in her voice.

Caller gave a slow, grim nod, "Tales say it will brake free of its bonds and come to this world in the last battle, the final battle of the Apocalypse - the thing must be as big as a continent by now, and the signs show that the battle is at hand."

"I have seen it, a grate green eye in my dreams is that the Wyrm?" the silver haired man asked his voice firm like he was talking about something mundane.

"Yes, its that big, and we have to defeat it, somehow we have to make the world strong enough to survive we may all die in the process but it has to be done."

"But this is the thing I keep saying "we" I can't order you to follow me or fight with your Kin, you have to join the war of your own free will or you will do no good to this world, there's no where you can run or hide I'm afraid."

Well cousin? What will it be?


	5. Ch5: A Legend Reborn

What will it be?…

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to take everything Caller-of-rats had told him. The mans words seem to trigger something in him. He had to join the war of his own free will why did that sound so familiar? Ah yes, he said something along the same lines to Sakura back when Team 7 started there Chunin exams, but still when it was said to her and when it was said to him where totally different.

For her it was the exams for the next ninja rank.

For him it was saving the world, no matter how odd it sounded he knew there was no other way to put it. The wolf in him had awoken with a primal scream and then promptly clawed apart what he thought about the world. He had to take this few minuets to calm himself and really think this over. Was this all a shared? No, something deep in him told him it was true, so the Wyrm was a real and present danger.

And as a leaf ninja he could not let any harm come to Konoha.

Slowly Kakashi let out a breath that he did not even realise he was holding and opened his eyes. He had that look in his eye that made Caller-of-rat smile, a look that it rarely seen in the eyes of young Garou. Kakashi did not have to say anything, with a simple nod of the head he had his answer.

"Good, then lets keep moving we are not too fare now, when we get to the camp we will find out what Tribe you belong too and your Auspice."

"My what?"

"Auspice," Caller chuckled "it's the phase of the moon you where born under, how much of Luna's light that shone down on Gaia at the moment you where born is one of the primary factors of what your roll will be in Garou society, it all so determines how much rage you where born with as well."

"What Tribe and Auspice are you then Caller-san?" Sakura asked, keeping a friendly tone in her voice.

"Me? I'm from the Bone Gnawer Tribe; my tribe members keep the aperients of homeless people. As for my Auspice, I'm a Galliard, I was born under a Gibbous moon. For ever my roll will be as a lore keeper and story teller."

"And as you where born under a Gibbous moon you have a lot of rage?" the pink haired kunoichi asked, any fear in her had long gone, replaced by curiosity.

Caller nodded "Hai, but not as much as a full moon."

Sakura noted that Kakashi's grip on her hand slackened a bit, looking up at the sliver haired man she saw that he had that fare away look in his eye, like he would get when he was remembering about his old team-mates. She squeezed his hand firmly pulling him out of his self-endued daze.

"Are you ok Kakashi-kun?" she asked as Caller went on to talk about the 13 werewolf tribes.

"I'm fine all things considered but," he sighed "I can't help but wonder who my Garou parent was."

"It was your father," Caller interrupted, relishing that they where not lessoning to him, "There have only been 3 Garou born from shinobis, including you."

Truth be told. Kakashi did not how to react to that, to know that he inherited his fate from his father! How can one man influence his life so damn much?

The Copy-Nin was snapped out of this thoughts as the smell of smoke drifted on the wind, he could see up ahead through a brake in the trees the softly glowing golden hue of a campfire along side the sound of voices on the night's air, Caller-of-rats picked up his pace, almost joyfully jogging to the camp.

"Seer Sigh-of-snow will tell you all you need to know about yourself." Caller gave them a fleeting smile as he made his way around the trees.

Taking a breath to steady himself Kakashi felt Sakura tightened her grip on his hand to reassure him, he saw her smile out the corner of his eye, a somewhat fake and nerves smile. They where about to walk into a camp full of werewolves after all, even if they where extended family when you think about it. Another breath and the two shinobi set for would.

Five pares of eyes leered at the silver haired man and his pink haired companion. Man and women sat around the fire, there bodes muscular and bore many battle scars. Kakashi's keen ears could hear their hushed whispers.

"It can't be him?"

"No he went through the right of the winter wolf."

"But he looks so.."

Caller cleared this throat "Seer, I have brought our newly awakened kin and his kinflok friend."

"So I see Caller-of-rats." a light but somehow growling voice spoke from the far side of the clearing.

A tall werewolf wearing its Crinos forum stepped out from the shadows, its salt and pepper fur hung like shag from its oddly thin frame. The Crinos forum it the werewolf's war forum it seemed odd that this Garous forum had hardly any mussel mass, it looked old. Something that was highlighted by the cane it was leaning heavily on and its eyes, eyes that where completely white.

To the left of the old Garou was a small girl, no older then the age of ten. To its right walked a man who had to be no older then Kakashi. The men stood with a tall and regale presents, like a lord who was looking over commoners; his eyes locked onto Kakashi's and gave him a death leer. The copy-nins only gave him his normal half lidded stare back, more concerned with the old seer.

"My my Kakashi how you have grown." the aged wolf chuckled as it sat by the fire.

"You know me?"

"Yes pup, I was the one to bind the spirit to watch over you, I even had the honor of fighting side by side with your father."

"My father?"

"He was a noble warrior, a legend among us." Caller spoke with a soft tone in his voice.

"Maybe later Caller-of-rats will honor us with a tale about him at our moot, but now you are wanting to know about your tribe yes?"

Kakashi gave a slow nod.

"Normally a shaman like me would check the spiritual mark left on you at birth but as I was around when you where born I need not do such a thing, your tribe is the same as your fathers, you are a Shadow Lord."

The man to the side of the old seer let out a low growl at the silver haired shinobi.

"He is Talon Silverhart" Caller wisped to Sakura, "he is a member pf the Silver Fang tribe, the Silver Fangs are the ruling tribe of the Garou but are constantly being challenged by the Shadow Lords."

"So he sees Kakashi as a parental threat?" Sakura wisped back.

Caller-of-rats nodded.

"As for your auspice you where born under a new moon - a Ragabash."

Caller laughed " A Ragabash? Sorry but that has to be perfect for a shinobi."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, eyebrow raised.

"Ragabash are trickster, assassins, they look underneath the underneath."

The old shaman stood up leaning on its cane to balance its bulk, the man and the small girl at its sides, almost worried that the old Garou would fall. Shuffling its aged forum around Sight-of-snow stood in front of Kakashi. Gently it cupped his face in its large clawed hand lifting his chin so they where looking eye-to-eye.

There was something in the seer's blind stare. It made Kakashi feel skinless. Boneless. Like it was looking through him like he was nothing but glass, fully transparent in the shamans sightless eyes, he left something stir deep inside of him, it was not his Rage. It felt more like his Chakra but it was different it felt..

More raw.

More pure.

It made him feel like he could claw his way through the fabric of this world and ascend to something more then what he was. Kakashi now knew the feeling of Gnosis flowing through his body. He is a being of flesh and spirit, of rage and resin.

"You have a heavy burden on you young one, you can not run in a pack s you are bound to your village, but you are not alone you have your kinflock friend here, and our spirit allies are always with you," the seer let its hand fall to its side, " now I have to fulfil a request made of me long ago."

Sight-of-snow raised its head to the night sky and let out a howl, the other pack members soon joined in as there individual voices mingled into one howl that sent a shiver down Sakura's spine.

"Let it be known that the Wyrm slayer Shingetsu no Kiba has been reborn."

--

Meanwhile two black furred wolves padded into a forest clearing littered with blood and gore, a amused glimmer in there eyes and the looked over the mangled bodies of three men.

"Looks like they died of natural causes wont you say?" the first wolf growled.

"Yes, being around a Garou during his first change naturally ends ones life."

"I wish I could have seen the look on their faces."

"This will be fun brother, the pieces have been set." the second wolf chuckled.

"You speak like this is a game."

"It is, and that fool of a Shadow Lord could think he could get out of playing by taking his own life." the second wolf grinned.

"I just hope his son will be as much fun as he was."

"Oh he will be brother, he will be."


	6. Ch6: Don't eat the food!

The past few days had seemed so surreal to the both of them, and it had not changed with coming home to Konoha. They had left an encounter of a lupine nature out of their report. Yes it had been a surreal past few days and it had not been helping Sakura much that she had been watching the copy-nin train his wolf form.

Out in Team 7's old training field, the large grey wolf held itself with such grace as it moved. Sakura never knew there where so many shades of grey till she laid eyes on Kakashi there, was no patch of fur you could say was black, likewise there was no patch you could say was white. Silver highlights shimmering in the midday sun as he prowled around his human form clone, teeth bared and golden eye gleaming, Sakura had to admit even if it was only to herself that he was good looking.

"_Makes you wonder even more about what he keeps hidden under that mask."_

Yes there was when he hugged her after his first change but it was really to dark for her to see and you would forgiver her if her mind was a bit to stunned to take anything in at that point.

Kakashi darted around the back of his clone, intent of sinking his fangs into the knee, but the clone nimbly jumped out the way. A growl of frustration rumbled across the field.

Flashback

"Sakura! Sakura!"

"Caller-san?"

A chocolate brown wolf padded up to her, tail gently swishing from side to side.

"There is something you should be warned about.," the wolf panted.

"Its about Kakashi's Rage, its something all of us have to deal with, I'm talking about Frenzy."

Needless to say Sakura did not like where this was going.

"As a new moon his risk of Frenzy is low but it will happen at some point."

"Didn't he Frenzy when he changed?"

As Sakura's mine went over that event she tried not to shiver.

"No, Frenzy is far more horrific, when Frenzy takes over he wont be able to tell friend from foe, he will only see red and moving shapes with the only wish to reduce them to mangled carcasses."

"And this can happen at anytime?"

"It's a defence mechanism, if he is in grave danger or there is a lot of silver around but there is a risk of him descending too far into the frenzy at this point his Rage is no longer pure."

"And let me guess, the Wyrm will use this rage in someway?"

"Yes, I'm glad that Kakashi has a friend as smart and understanding as you," the dark furred wolf grinned, "its called The Thrall of the Wyrm if his will is weak at the time he will feast on the flesh of the fallen and wounded."

"Cannibalism!"

End Flashback

The feeling of something cold and wet pressed on her nose and hot breath on her lips snapped her back to reality, the glimmer in the wolf's single eye, the smirk on his lupine lips. Damn it how long had he been staring at her like that? Even his clone had a smirk on its masked face.

"Ewww. Dog breath."

Kakashi chuckled as she pushed him away, a soft pop as he dispelled his clone echoed across the training area.

"Now Now Sakura-chan, be nice to your old sensei."

It was Sakura's turn to giggle this time "You can't use that line on me Kakashi-kun, you're my ex-sensei and your not that old and don't you age even slower now?"

She scratched behind his ear; a small sigh of comfit passed the lips of the silver-grey wolf as he leaned even more into her scratches. What would his fellow Shadow Lords think if they saw him like this? Letting a human kin treat him like a pet, but really he did not care. He knew she bore as much burden as he did but had none of the benefits, the copy-nin could not banish the gilt from his hart it felt like he had dragged her into this. His image in the eyes of his Tribe can be damned to hell.

Sakura ran her hand down his side "I'm back working shifts at the hospital tomorrow."

"You sound almost upset Sakura-chan, disappointed that you wont get to spend more time with me?" he joked.

"You wish." she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I have a mission tomorrow," the wolf sighed. "Solo."

"How do you plan on fighting the Wyrm and still making it look like everything is.. Well normal?"

"The Wyrm does not create the things it feeds on, it will find them out, with missions I will most likely run into something," Kakashi shifted back into his human form, fully dressed mines his jounin vest and headband, the spiritual energy now infused into the fabric meant that they would now shift with him - or in the case of his more Lupine forms see too disappear, "I wont lie Sakura its not how I will find or fight it that worries me its where I will find it."

Sakura did not have time to ask what he was getting at as he had already ported himself away, leaving Sakura with her own thoughts. She sighed quietly to herself as her mind wounded off her current predicament and onto a raven-haired boy - no, boy was not right, he was a young man by now. She had not thought about him in days, well weeks really.

"Where are you Sasuke-kun?"

--

Kakashi dragged his fatigued form trough the gates of his home village, his mission was a success in one day and in one way and a failure in another. The mission given to him by the Hokage he completed with out breaking a sweat, but his other mission, the one he inherited, had failed this time as he found no signs of the Wyrm's influents.

"Maybe next time." The copy-nin sighed.

He wondered what he should do next. He would try and stay with solo missions for now but he knew there would be a time he would be teamed up with 'normal' ninjas. Kakashi stopped his train of though there, now was not the time for this he had a report to do, letting his head fall back a bit his gaze now rested on the evening sky, the sun had already set below the tree line, normally at this time he would make his way to a pink-haired medics for healing but now. Now his wounds healed almost instantly as well as poison and illness having no effect on him.

Maybe this was a boon to him, and not just to his physical health, maybe now he could distance himself from Sakura. Move her out of harms way as it where, he did not deny it would be hard for him but the silver haired jounin knew it was for the best, she would be out of the way from the Wyrm he knew if she stayed too close she would be a target. It was not like he was trying to keep her near him to try and win her heart - a heart she had already given away - but it seemed during his inner ramblings his body had grown bored and decided to make up his mind for him, as the copy-nin found himself standing outside the hospital.

The silver-haired Garou sighed. Ok. Maybe he missed her during his mission; it would not hurt to see her would it? He hoped not as he had already passed by the reception desk. Taking a quick look about he was surprised to see so many civilians here with their children, but he thought nothing of it. A flash of pink got his eye as he saw the woman he was after, she was wearing her standard nurses uniform with that long white doctors coat over the top, her hair was pined back as she read what was on her clipboard, but most of all she looked tiered.

"Yo!"

Her head snapped up from what she was reading "Kakashi-kun!" she smiled.

"Are you ok Sakura-chan?" he asked head tilted to one side.

"Long day." she sighed, tucking a tray stray strand of pink behind her ear.

Grabbing his arm, Sakura pulled him into her office. Kakashi was almost surprised, almost; he knew what she was going to ask.

"Did you find anything?"

And there it was.

"Nothing."

She dropped the clipboard into her desk, the flutter of the attached paper the only sound in the room; she turned to the older shinobi.

"Are you injured?" she started to gather her chakra encase he replayed in the affirmative.

"No I'm fine, regeneration and all," he gave her his normal happy eye crease, "so what has been happening to get you so run down Cherry Blossom?"

"Some illness has been effecting the infants." she sighed, tucking that stray hair behind her ear again.

The copy-nin leaned over her desk to try and get a peek at her reports.

"Something of interest Kakashi-kun?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nay, but I do find your handwriting enticing."

She laughed and playfully smacked his arm, "Don't you have something to do? Like a report?"

"Trying to get rid of me already?" he said in mock hurt.

"Never," she giggled, "but I still have a few patents to see," the medic said, turning her back to him she sorted some stuff on her desk, " you know I would like you to stay but I don't know how they would feel with another here."

"I understand." he said solemnly.

She expected to hear him disappear in a puff of smoke or to slip out the window so she was surprised to hear his jounin vest and headband hitting the floor. Turning back around to face her ex-sensei Sakura's eyes lay on the familiar coat of Kakashi's lupine form, his single golden eye gleamed with myth. Sakura scowled at him hands on hips; very Tsunade looking, oh she was going to give him an earful. But it seemed Gaia had mercy on her newest fighter as he was saved by the bell, well nock really.

Sakura cursed as she quickly kicked the clothes that did not shift with him under the desk.

"Come in," she smiled sweetly as she opened the door, "don't mind the dog he is a ninkin who was delivering a message from a friend."

A civilian woman entered with a baby in her arms, her eyes widened when she saw Kakashi. He knew where he reaction was coming from. The Curse, all normal humans and animals could feel the beast within a werewolf. Kakashi yawned and lie down, showing he was no threat to them.

"Now what seems to be the problem?" Sakura asked, brining the mother's attention back to her.

"It's the little one here, she has a fever and can't seem to keep her food down."

Sakura nodded and started to scan the small child with her chakra, she was not surprised by what she found, she had been treating the same illness all week on others.

"When did this start?"

"Soon after I started getting this new food." the mother shifted the baby to one arm, with her now free hand she rummaged around in her bag and produced a jar of baby food, "well I have been getting the food for a long time now, but they changed the recipe."

Again Sakura was not surprised with the baby food, she prescribed the same thing that she had done for about 13 others, and with a smile and a thank you they left. After shutting the door behind them Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Do that again and I swear ill take you to the vet and have you castrated."

She did not hear him shift back to his human form, but she felt him when his front brushed agents her back as he took the jar from her.

"I take it this is what has been draining you?

"Hai, the illness started soon after they changed the recipe but we have tested it but it came back clean."

"So you think it's just simply a quiescent between the two?

"It's starting to look that way."

Kakashi opened up the jar, cursedly poking the mashed contends. It felt odd like ice on his skin that sent a shiver up his arm and made him feel sick. He lifted it to his nose and took in its sent; the Garou smelt more then just the puréed food, his visible eye widened. It could not be.. It must have been something on his mask; pulling the lip of said mask down under his nose Kakashi took another sniff. The smell assaulted his senses.

It was 'IT'.

And IT was strong.

"What's wrong Kakashi-kun?" Sakura asked when she saw him stager.

"This food it.. It's Wyrm tainted!"

Sakura's eye widened, she felt faint. The Wyrm was here? In Konoha? It can't be! Kakashi tugged his mask back in place, a somewhat sad look in his eye.

"B-But how? We tested it for everything!"

"The taint is not physical in anyway, nor is it like bad chakra." Kakashi raked his hand though his silver spikes trying to think of a way to explain it, "its like me, you can run any amount of tests on me and they would all say I was human," he made his way over to her and lifted her chin to get her to look at him, "you understand now Sakura-chan?"

"Yes I-I think so, thank you Kakashi-sens.. I mean kun." she bit her bottom lip, "but why?"

"To encourage its food source to grow," he said solemnly as he put the lid back onto the jar, "all the suffering this is causing is feeding the Wyrm in small amounts - but it wont be long before spirits move in and make things worse

"By move in you mean.." Sakura's eyes widened even more if that was passable as she started to pace up and down, "Oh shit! Oh shit!"

"Has the hospital already announced that they food was clean?"

"Yes on the first few days that the illness was reported, oh shit! What can we do? We can't ban the food without some evidence that it is harmful," she stopped pacing and turned to Kakashi, "you!" she pointed at him, "you're a Garou do something!"

"I'm trying to think of something, I am still learning about my race!" there was an edge of a growl to his voice but it seemed to go unheard by them.

"Can't you do something to scare it away? Or turn into a monster and destroy something!" she did not see him flinch at the monster comment.

"I know that there is a rite to clean Wyrm taint but I do now know how to perform it."

"Then learn it!" she hissed.

"It's not that easy, and performing a rite on a scale like this would be lifting the Veil."

"I don't care! Lift it!"

Sakura suddenly found herself pined to the wall, Kakashi's gloved hand firmly over her mouth, the look in his mismatched eyes told her that she had overstepped the mark.

"Sakura," the way he seemed to growl her name made her shiver, " I will not do something like that! I don't want the humans remembering!"

She gently took the hand covering her mouth and removed it, "Remembering what Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked away from her, no longer finding himself able to meet her gaze. With a heavy sigh he pushed himself away from her, but she still remained there, watching him as he picked up his jounin vest and headband.

"I'm sorry that I frightened you." he murmured as he slipped his vest on.

"You don't frighten me Kakashi, I know I have nothing to fear from you." her voce was soft, but he could hear her perfectly.

He looked over his shoulder at her. Part of him wish that she was afraid of him, that she would run when he showed his true self. Kakashi knew what he could do, even though no one had told him he knew. She might not be afraid but he was - he was afraid for her.

"Ill take a look around and try to find where this stuff is coming from," he said as he tied on his headband, "if you want in meet me at my apartment at midnight." he did not wait for her to say reply from her as he disappeared out of the window.

"_So much for trying to push her away."_

--

Luck was on there side as it turned out only one shop in the village sold the baby food in question, the two shinobi slipped into the alleyway around the back and quietly made there way to the door used for delivery's, naturally said door was locked tight.

"We don't have time for this!" Sakura growled as she started to channel chakra to her fist, but was stopped by Kakashi.

"Don't be so hasty Sakura-chan." he lightly brushed his fingers over the lock and with a soft click the door opened.

"How did you?!"

"No doors are locked to a Ragabash." he smiled through his mask.

The two peered into the deeper darkness of the building, the room smelt musky as first, like it had been sealed shut for weeks, but as the fresh air from outside mingled with the stale air inside it got a lot worse, the stench was akin to that of an infected wound.

"Ugghh, who would let there stock go off like that?" Sakura said through a pinched nose.

Kakashi moved in with his Sharingan eye uncovered, he could see wooden crates and by the name and dates written on the side he knew that they where what he was looking for. But that was not what stopped him in his tracks, nor was it that made his Rage boil and filled him with the urge to shift into his war form. No. What made him feel like that was far, far worse.

Hovering just above the boxes could only be a Wyrm spirit. It looked to be a mass of rotting bones and tissue - about the size of a fox, filthy bandages and entrails fluttered underneath it, caressing the boxes.

"Shit, this is bad!" he cursed under his breath.

The spirit turned to face the werewolf with a snarl it turned again and fled into the spirit realm.

"NO!" Kakashi snarled.

He slammed his fist into a crate, casein a sharp splintering sound to echo around the room. Was the taint that strong that it was allowing spirits to manifest? Hastily he took off his vest and headband and throw it behind it, he could feel his body start to shift, his skin peeling away and leaving fur behind as his nails grew into claws.

"Kakashi-kun?"

"RUN!"

She did not argue with him, she left as fast as she could as the sound of crashing glass seemed to follow her through the night.

"_Caller-san, you said I was smart and understanding about Kakashi, but I really _don't_ know a thing do I?"_

a/n: Hi all thanks for reading Going through changes so far and i hope you are injoying it.

I know i have problems with my spelling and i am trying to fix it, am useing the spell checker on Microsoft word, if anyone knows of a better one (either one that can be downloaded or just something online) please let me know

Love from Mistrunner


	7. Ch7: Shadow Lord & The Red Lady

Sakura pulled her knees to her chest as she shivered; the pink-haired medic knew she should close the window, something she told herself to do over an hour ago. A cold breeze of night air blew in through the open window causing a way would strand of hair to tickle her cheek, almost as it was trying to snap her back to reality she bated it away only for it to return instantly. Her eyes widened as she felt worm fingers brush over her cheek as they captured the stray strand and tucked it behind her ear.

"Kakashi-kun."

"I wanted to make sure you where all right." his voice was dry, like there was something missing.

"Why did you…" her voce trailed off as the wind howled outside.

So she did not see it. He sighed to himself, Kakashi wanted to keep the pure horrors of the Wyrm away from her, he knew she was not innocent being a ninja the lifestyle would not allow it, but even to a young Garou like Kakashi knew what maddening horrors lay in the darkness.

"Because I had too, don't worry I made it look like a pack of stray dogs got in." his fingers still rested gently agents the skin of her cheek.

"But we did not find anything out." she leaned back into her sofa, the heat of his hand seeping into her skin.

"I found an invoice, I have an address." he said at length.

She turned to face him in a whirl of pink "Where!?"

"I can not tell you that Sakura-chan."

"Why not!" her eyes narrowed.

The gaze of his lone eye drifted away from her face, "I don't want to see you hurt."

"So you think I'm weak!? I can take care of myself Kakashi-sensei!"

"Its not that Sakura-chan, what I'm fighting is totally different from even high ranking shinobi."

"Don't you think I know that?" she yelled at him now standing with her hands balled into fists at her side.

"Sakura," the Garou sighed as the wind began to howl again, "you have.. Things to take care of here."

Kakashi slid his hands into his pockets as the pink-haired medic glared angrily ay him, trying to hold back the tears that where threatening to fall. So he was going to leave her too, just like the others.

"Please Sakura, take care of things here and let me fight on the front line."

Sakura hung her head, pink locks covering her face not really knowing what she should be feeling but she was hurt and angry, why did he want to push her away? Again it felt like she was 12 being left behind feeling useless, helpless, whilst the boys went off and did grand things. Sakura sighed, her hands not relaxed at her sides as the smoke from Kakashi's teleport jutsu cleared from the room, with another shuddering sigh she headed for her bedroom. Her mind trying to form a plan to prove herself to him.

--

"A week? This is unlike you Hatake." the honey eyed Hokage razed an eyebrow at the copy-nin.

"It won't take that long Hokage-sama I will probably be back in three days." the silver-haired man gave his distinctive happy eye crease.

"But still, asking for a weeks leave outside the village is unlike you."

"I know Hokage-sama, but some… family business came up." he almost wanted to kick himself right then and there for saying that, for all his deception skills as a shinobi and a ragabash he could not outright lie to the Hokage.

"Family?" her eyebrow lifted higher, "you had a one night stand?"

"NO!" the copy-nin said sharply.

The look the Hokage gave him demanded that he say more.

The silver-haired werewolf scratched the back of his neck "Its something that started with my father that I now have to take care of." ok on second thought maybe he should of gone with the one night stand excuse.

"Your father?"

Kakashi just nodded.

Tsunade leaned back in her char, "Ok, you have a week, no more." she sighed.

"Thanks you Hokage-sama." he bowed before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed, that man was a headache lately but he has stared acting a bit more 'normal' after coming back from his last mission with Sakura. Wait a moment, Sakura! No, no it was not like that, damn that man and his perverted influence! A nock on the door brought the Hokage out of her ramblings.

"Here are the reports you asked fore Tsunade-shishou." Sakura said as she pushed her was through the door with an arm full of papers.

"Thank you Sakura." she then mumbled something under her breath, trying to dispel the thoughts that Kakashi un-intently stirred up.

"Something the matter Tsunade-shishou?"

"Hmmm, no nothing, Kakashi was just in here to ask for some time off to travel outside the village, and you know what he can be like."

Sakura's eyes widened, "He what?"

Tsunade razed an eyebrow at her apparentness " he did not tell you?"

Sakura bowed to her sensei "Tsunade-shishou, I have a favour to as of you."

--

It took Kakashi less then a day to reach his target, a nightclub on the edge of Rain called The Phantom, an unlikely place for one to find baby food but the Shadow Lord knew that this was just a front, he rain just hand through his silver hair feeling a bit out of place not wearing his normal jounin outfit, in its stead he wore black jeans with a long sleeved black shirt, his headband replaced with a simple eye patch but the mask still constant. With firm strides he made his way for would passing the somewhat tiered looking bouncers, slipping into the building he saw where it got its name. The Phantom was a converted opera house, the beat of the music rumbled through his body as the darkened haze of the club was lit up by flashes of colour in time with the music, the silver-haired Garou made his was through the crowd of sweaty, heated dancing bodies as his own form became nothing more then a shimmering blur as he activated his Gift Blur of the Milky eye.

A door marked 'Staff Only' pointed him in the desired direction as he moved unseen under the influence of his spiritual gift, the heavy beat of the music still thundered in these somewhat quieter corridors. Moving unseen was child's play for the veteran shinobi and cunning ragabash, using both his ninja skills and new-moon Gifts to pass by staff and effetely open locked doors until he finally came upon the main office, surely he would be able to find something here, some small clue as to where the source of the Wyrm tainted food was. Approaching the nearest file ling cabinet he dispelled the Gift keeping him hidden and used another to open the draw.

"I would leave that be if I was you," a deep voice rumbled from behind the copy-nin "The Red Lady wishes you see you!"

Kakashi let his hand fall to his side as he turned to see who was making demands on him. It was one of the bouncers on the door, he had a Katana hanging in its sheath at his side but by the way he was standing he was not planning on using it.

"Follow me!" the man grunted at he turned to walk down the corridor.

Kakashi followed, not because he had to mind you, he was intrigued by this 'Red Lady' so like a good boy he followed, they where only human anyway, what could they really do to him?

The bouncer stopped by one of the curtains that acted as a door to one of the boxes. The man nodded his head towards the curtain, telling the copy-nin to go in; with a sideways glance at the bouncer Kakashi pushed aside the curtain and stepped in.

The box held two seats one occupied by a very beautiful woman. She had long smooth black hair that stood in sharp contrast agents her ivory white skin, she wore a low cut red dress, blood red, her nails where painted the same share of red.

"Please, sit down." she waved her had at the empty seat, she did not look at him as she spoke, her gaze fixed on the dance floor below.

"So you are The Red Lady."

"I am, and who might you be?" she looked at him as she asked, her lips the same share of red as her dress.

"I am no one important." the copy-nin replied.

"I beg to differ there, you entered a area off limits to you and proceeded to snoop around some very important documents" she shifted forwoulds on her seat as she leaned towards him, placing a hand atop the copy-nin's knee, "so ill ask you again, who are you?"

"I am here investigating some food that was shipped out of here." he said plainly.

"Oh the baby food?" she sighed as she leaned back, " I knew that would land me in trouble sooner or later."

"Care to tell me?" the Garou inquired.

"This night club does not use all the space that this old opera house provides a lot of it is unused, and because of my late husband we have.. Lets say a few tips to pay off." she looked down on the dance floor ones again.

"What happened to him? If you don't mind be asking."

"He was one of them adrenaline junkies, lets just say he jumped off a 12 foot bridge with a 13 food rope," she sighed, "I rented the unused space out, that is where the food is, but ill tell you now its not made there."

"Whom did you rent it to?"

The Red Lady smiled at him a sly, seductive smile as she got up and walked over to him, brushing her hand up his arm as she went. "Now that would be telling." she whispered into his ear.

"What would it get you to change your mind?" the Shadow Lord asked.

The Red Lady looked up over the dance floor again, the flash of lights highlighted something of interest to her, a flash of pink making its way through the crowed, a smirk crossed her crimson lips, "A friend of yours?" she grinned.

Kakashi stood up and peered over the side to see the familiar pink hair of his cherry blossom. His visible eye widened when he saw three of the Red Lady's men making there way towards her, like lions making there way to pry through long grass.

"Ill call them off and tell you who I rented the rooms out too if you give me one simple thing." she pressed her front to his back, her lips brushing the shell of his ear.

"What thing?" something was not right, there was something missing, she felt…. Cold.

"A kiss," her lips traveled down from his ear to his neck, "just a simple kiss."

He felt her lips press agents his cloth covered neck, then the tip of something sharp being dragged over flesh ripping his mask, his breath hitched as the tips pierced the skin 'Vampire' his mind screamed as his rage snapped, instantly shifting into Crinos form.

The howl was easily heard over the pounding of the music. Sakura looked up at the boxes to see the somewhat filmier sight of Kakashi is his war form, panic spread throughout the crowed like wildfire as they rushed like freighted cattle towards the exits, that's when she noted that a few where keeping there cool, and heading right for her.

Kakashi tore the leech from his neck and throw her like a rag doll down to the floor below when his eyes fixed on Sakura, with a snarl he jumped out of the box and landed on the man nearest to her, bones crunching under the werewolf's 800-pound bulk.

"Get out of here!" he growled.

Kakashi felt the sting of a blade cutting into his flesh, the wound was nothing to the raging Garou, the blade was normal steel and not silver. With a snarl he sunk his claws into the flesh of his attackers torso and racked them across, gutting him like he was nothing more then a fish. Trying in vain to stop his lifeblood from flooding out the man fell to the floor grasping the gaping wound. The silver furred werewolf razes himself to his full height, easy concealing Sakura behind him.

"Go now! No argue!" Kakashi snarled, his rage braking is speech.

"I can take care of myself!" she yelled back over the music still playing.

The music did not go un-noted by Kakashi or the fact it was most likely drowning out his orders to his ex-student. The ragabash wrapped his long clawed hand around the arm of the last man who was after Sakura and hurled him at the sound equipment of the stage, with a crash the music stopped. Kakashi turned to face Sakura, his snarling maw just inches away from her face.

"Go now! No argue! Not human!" he barked.

Almost to prove his point The Red Lady was upon him, red painted nails now claw-like and her lips set into a snarl reviling her vampric fangs. She had grabbed onto the longer fur around his shoulders as she tried to bite the left side of his neck, but Kakashi had blocked her by pressing his right hand across her neck and collarbone. The two beasts snarled at each other, using a tribal Gift he was able to seize the edge and throw her off him, trails of silver fur flying into the air.

"My fight!" he barked.

She could not stop herself from feeling angry with him, or maybe it was at herself. She had come here to help him, to show what she was really made of. Not to be pushed to one side damn it!

"Fine!" she barked back, "I'm going out back ill wait for you out there."

The Garou grunted in a basic reply before charging the vampire as Sakura made her way towards the back fire exit, the large heavy metal door opened easily as the medic-nin stepped outside, a shiver shot down her spine. She knew Kakashi would be ok, but what was this feeling?

"H-Hay! You there, are you ok?"

Sakura looked up to see two men and what appeared to be there dates.

"Did you see that monster in there!?" one of the men asked.

The Red Lady looked up at the Garou towering over her, his clawed hands set in the sign of the tiger. The vampire panted for not needed air, old human habits dieing hard.

"Wait! Wait! Ill tell you what you want to know." she gasped trying to crawl away from the Shadow Lord.

"Talk!" Kakashi snarled.

"You will spare me if I do?" she asked, looking up at him.

Kakashi just growled.

"Ok," she put a hand up in a sign of surrender, "his name is Zakmive, I have heard his men call him a Black Spiral Dancer, but I swear I don't know what that is, I was told to keep an eye out for you and your friend."

"The food!" he snapped at her.

"He gets some humans to bring it here before it's moved on to small shops, that's all I know!"

Gold and red eyes fixed on the undead, if he pressed harder he would get more, and much needed details. But his Garou and Shinobi instincts screamed at him that he has been here for too long, made too much of a seine and that he needed to end this and move out as if he stayed any longer he would draw attention from things far worse then gossiping humans. Taking a deep breath Kakashi moved his hand from the formed sign to his mouth.

The Red Lady's eyed widened "NO! We had a deal!"

A blood-curdling scream split the air as she was engulfed in the fire jutsu.

"I agreed to no deal." he growled as he shifted into his wolf form and went off to meet with Sakura.

The pink haired medic winced slightly as a drop of sweat dripped into her eye, it all happened so fast. But she had managed to take down one of the females, the remanding three stood there, katana in hand as they grinned evilly at her, readying themselves for another attack.

"If we kill you The Red Lady will reward us greatly." one of the males grinned.

Sakura knew they where not ninjas, she could not feel any use of chakra from them, but despite that they where easily able to keep up with her. Where they the same as what ever Kakashi was fighting? Are they not human? Griping harder on there blades they latched themselves recklessly into another attack. Sakura felt something brush agents her leg as an all to familiar sight unfolded before her. Kakashi had leaped upon one of the males, fangs already sunk into his neck as the two fell to the forest floor. The man chocked out a gargling scream as he tried to free himself from the death-grip of the silver-grey wolf. His friends unable to help as a full pack of wolves had set on them.

"I could have taken care of them!" she huffed at the wolf as the shadow clones disappeared.

"I know, but my way is faster." he said as he licked the blood from his lips.

His form shifted again, this one somewhere between his Crinos and Lupus form. A large brutal looking wolf about the size of a horse, he walked over to her and lowed his body slightly.

"Get on."

"I can walk Kakashi! And anyway I'm not dressed for riding!"

It was true; the lovely black she had on would mean riding side-saddle or have it crumbled around her waist, possibly reviling her underwear. Kakashi rolled his eyes as he stepped back and readied himself for a bold move; he pushed his head between her legs forcing her onto his back. Sakura gave a yelp of surprise and smacked him on the top of his head.

"Well if your going to be like that." she grumbled as she set herself up.

As she guessed her dress was pushed up around her waist to the point it looked more like a belt as she settled herself just below his shoulder blades, she could not help but blush as his fur brushed her inner thigh, Kakashi felt it too, it almost make him forget that he was angry at her. Without waiting for any word from Sakura he set off at a speed much faster then he could of ever hope to achieved in his human form, long limbs taking grand strides, his large paws falling silently, quite as the shadow of a passing cloud. Sakura fisted her hands in the long fur around his neck, all wounds crated by the vampire already healed, she bared her face into that mane of fur, to protect her face from whipping limbs of low hanging branches she told herself.

Kakashi slowed down to a trot as they where nearing Konoha, the distance they traveled in a short amount of time amazed him, but he knew not to use the form to much, it was too easily remembered. Stopping e sat down to allow Sakura to get her feet onto firm ground, she readjusted her dress as Kakashi's body slipped back into his human shape, his clothes shredded as he had neglected to enchant them like his normal jounin outfit.

"I told you to stay behind! This does not concern you!" he snarled, an angry aura coming from him.

"I told you I can take care of myself!" it sounded stupid for her to tell him the same thing over and over again, but she would keep on telling him till it got it.

"Fighting another ninja I do not doubt that, but fighting something like me, Sakura-chan… you would be killed." it hurt him to say that, she was a powerful and able kunoichi, but he knew he could take her out if he used his Garou powers, and there where things out there that could easily kill him.

Sakura's hands balled into fists at her sides, her lips pulled in a tight line as she glared at him, maybe it was not the best thing considering his nature, but she did it. Sakura punched him square in the jaw, his mismatched eyes looked up at her in shock. Kakashi winced as he touched his face, even silver would not hurt as much. A shiver ran through his body followed by another and another till he was looking up at her through his wolf eye. With out a word the silver-grey wolf headed off into the forest.

--

"So the club was ran by a vampire?" the chocolate brown wolf tilted his head to one side.

"Hai, it was being used at some sort of halfway house" the silver-grey wolf replied in wolf-speech, "she said something about a Black Spiral Dancer, what are they?"

Caller-or-rats' eyes darkened slightly, "Let me tell you about what they really are, but you wont like it."

--

Sakura had cried herself to sleep, something she had not done since Sasuke left, but she could not truly understand why Kakashi was affecting her so much. The pink-haired cherry blossom always put it down to the fact that he was the last member of Team 7 and now he had an increased risk of never coming home, and they had parted ways but her punching him and not saying a word.

Sakura felt the bed dip around her that stirred her out of a deep sleep, in that sleepy haze she could feel the four slender legs of a wolf either side of her.

"Kakashi-kun?" she mumbled.

"Not quite." a deep gravely voce replied.

Sakura's eyes shot open to see a large jet-black wolf with bile green eyes looming over her, its ears seemed bat-like and its fangs jutted from its mouth in all directions.

"Hello there Sakura-san, we have come to have a word with you." it grinned as the rest of its pack made their way into her room.


	8. Ch8:Devoured and the Damned

-1"TELL ME! WHERE I CAN FIND THEM!?" Kakashi roared at Caller who was pined under him.

He had gone back to check on Sakura, but when he had got there she was gone. Her apartment absolutely reeked of the Wyrm, not only had they kidnapped her but they had marked her apartment as thier territory to mock him! His hands tighten around the moon-dancers neck, despite the innate rage inherited by the their Auspice the gibbous moon was keeping his cool despite being choked to death whilst the new moon was dancing on the edge of frenzy.

'If the bate is obvious, don't take it' his own voice mocked him inside his head, it was so, so obvious now. They used the club to lure him away from Konoha so with no Garou there, they The Black Spiral Dancers could move in and strike out at him where he is most vulnerable.

"I.. Cant.. Talk… With.. You… Chocking…. Me." the Galliard chocked out.

"Let him go!" one of his pack mates snarled at the copy-nin.

"Tell me where!" Kakashi demanded one more time, feeling more then ready to open up a few throats to get what he needed.

"Easy now no-moon, do not let your rage overcome you." the small girl that was at the old seer's side stepped towards the copy-nin.

Kakashi fell to his knees whimpered as she patted him lightly on the leg, his rage stifled, but his body still shook violently like he was chilled to the bone, Caller rubbed his neck as he sat up. The Bone Gnawer was not angry at the shinobi, he understood why he acted like he did he could feel haw angry Kakashi was with himself.

Caller sighed, "You can't fight them, its suicide!"

"But I have to get her back, get her safe," he racked his hand through his hair, "I said I would not let anything happen to her."

The girl smoothed her dress down around her knees as she kneeled down in front of Kakashi, "You are still young as a Garou, you know how to change your shape and use your spiritual energy in performing Gifts, but the spirits tell me that you have yet to truly embrace that side of you, and step-sideways."

Kakashi's dark eye locked on to the girl, no older then ten and he could tell. Far, far more experience as a Garou then him, even though it had only been a month from his first change some basic knowledge of himself had awakened in his blood, but still there was something different about her, he could feel it.

"We have not been properly greeted each other Shingetsu no Kiba," she smiled, "I am Clear-Sky, a Thurge from the Children of Gaia tribe." she bowed her head to him.

"But your so.."

"Young? Where you not already a killer at my age?"

"Too true," he chuckled darkly, "a pleaser to meet you Clear-Sky, now please tell me how to find these Black Spirals." his voce had a demanding edge to it.

Clear-sky glanced about, looking over her pack for some sort of sign from them when Sight-of-Snow gave her a nod, "The black hornet you seek has made its hive inside a beast known as a Thunderwyrm that is sleeping deep in the Umbra."

"How will I find it?"

"With this," she lifted up his headband to revile that blood red eye, "The Sharingan had the same energy as Anthelios- the red star, it will least you to them," she then blushed slightly and looked away from him, "That and your love for her."

Kakashi was taken back by her comment; he cared for her deeply but love? Seeing as she was still somewhat young he gathered that she could not tell between the two.

"I don't love her."

"Regardless," Caller spoke up, his voce slightly ruff, "You wont be able to take even one of them down, they will tare you lim from lim, that is if the Thunderwyrm don't wake and rend your soul from here to Malfeas first."

"You're not going to come with me?" the copy-nin grinned through this mask.

"I'm not going to let you lead my pack into some hell pit, you Wyrm-eyed mongrel!" it was the Silver Fang, Talon that spoke up, his voce cutting through the air like a silver knife.

Kakashi gritted his teeth, he knew all to well of the bad blood between their tribes. He was Kakashi Hatake, Kakashi the Sharingan warrior, who was this basted calling a mongrel?! "That's fine," he growled out, "just tell me how to get to the Umbra and ill go by myself."

"The Spirit World is all around us! Children feel it under their beds; Shinobis partake of its warmth when they call on their Chakra, you dance through it in your dreams and it's just but a step away. All you have to do is stop moving forwards and backwards and just step sideways," she giggled and smiled at him as she made her way back to the seer's side, "it lies just on the other side of the looking glass." she waved back.

"You should already know this by now," the Silver Fang growled, "you have what you need now go! Before your stench makes me sick!"

Kakashi's mismatched eyes narrowed onto the argent Silver Fang, he tried to keep his cool but his rage being fuelled by his inbred Shadow Lord pride was starting to make it hard, he had to remind himself that he was not a member of this pack, that he was an outsider.

"We will be leaving Fire tomorrow, we will be back in two Luna cycles, my home is that we will still find you alive by the time we return." Caller chimed in.

At that point Kakashi knew he had overstayed him welcome, with a heavy sigh he rose to his feet and brushed the dirt off from his legs. He still had five days on leave left, five days to learn how to 'step-sideways' and fine Sakura, it was going to be hard but he knew that he could do it, he had to do it. With a nod goodbye he walked high on two human legs as he left a pack of Garou behind him, a pack he was allied with, but held no place in. as the now growing distends figure of the lone wolf disappeared into the trees a mournful howl cut its way through the twilight of dawn, one of the young ones was singing the loss of Shingetsu no Kiba.

--

Kakashi passed back and froth in his apartment, he found that he could easily move in and out of the village using his wolf shape, he did not want anyone knowing he was back in the village. He let out a frustrated growl as he racked his hand through his silver hair, so far he had no luck in reaching the spirit realm and time was ticking away, what was happening to her? Where they torturing her? Where they trying to get some Wyrm spirit to poses her? Was she even still alive?

He told himself he could not think like that, not now, not ever, he was loosing his cool and he needed a clear head now more then ever. He stopped passing and closed his eye and focused inwards, he felt his Chakra flow through his body like a second bloodstream, he then focused deeper and felt that newer source of energy that had awakened in him with his First Change, he then delved deeper till he felt his skin tingle, with that he took a step to the side and slowly opened his eyes.

Nothing.

He was still in the physical realm.

Damn it!

He was getting no where fast and it was starting to feel that the Gantlet between this realm and the spiritual was getting stronger, with a sigh and a roll of the shoulders he made his way to the bathroom_. __"__All you have to do is stop moving forwards and backwards and just step sideways.__"_ Clear-Sky's voice echoed inside his head.

Kakashi shock his body trying to dispel the icy tingle from his skin despite him wearing his normal jounin outfit and it being a warm day, he pulled down his mask and splashed some water on his face, his lone eye feel on his reflection in the mirror, he leaned heavily on the skin as memories of that morning came flooding back as Kakashi found his face sliding into that same feral expression.

"It lays just the other side of the looking glass."

He focused on the reflection, not on his face but on his eyes and he could see it, for the first time he could really see it, the wolf in him staring back in them back and red eyes. He looked passed his eyes, not on the reflection of the wall behind him, that's went he felt it like he had broken the surfaces of a cold lake and was steadily going under, was going to drown but slowly his mind and body came to grips with what was happening.

He opened his eye, not relishing he had closed it. It took him a moment to take everything in. he had made it, he was finally in the Umbra, it was a shadow of the physical realm set in a blue wash, wisps of energy drifted about like fireflies. Kakashi ran his hands over his arms in a effete to shake this odd feeling from his skin that made him realise he was no longer wearing his jounin vest and headband, they had not passed over with him. But he had no time to linger on small details like this.

With a deep breath he set off at the fastest speed his legs could carry him. Large metallic spiders, Weaver spirits know as Patten spiders, crawled over cobweb covered buildings, jumping from roof to roof he got a good view of his home in this Umbra landscape, the Patten spiders ignored him as they busied themselves with spinning there webs, the pockets of Weaver energy was mixed in with that of Wyld from the vast training fields, looking over the wall that enclosed his home he could see vast amounts of Wyld energy created by the thick forest that surrounded the village.

He stopped when it got his eye, the hazy red glow high in the spiritual sky, a red star hung over head throwing its dreadful light down on anything in its gaze, this was not the first time he had seen it, it had been there in his dreams, all be it bigger and brighter but regardless it was here in Konoha's spiritual sky.

Anthelios - The Red Star, The Ant-Sun, The Eye of the Wyrm.

Kakashi brushed his fingers over his closed Sharingan eye, same energy as the star. He opened that eye and found it to be glowing slightly like it aural counterpart. Tearing his gaze away from the star he set his sights back onto the forest. Clear-sky had told him that his eye would lead him to the Thunderwyrm.

So he ran faster and faster into the umbra, deeper into its more darker parts till he stood there in front of it. The Thunderwyrm, it had a snakelike body though its head was longer and thinner then a normal snakes, its skin a vile looking green and covered in barbs to shred the flesh of any who would dare attack it, its cold stone eyes narrowed on the shinobi, black serrated tong flicked out as it hissed at him, spittle eating away at the ground.

"Give me back Sakura," he snarled, "or I'm coming in there!"

With that the beast latched forwards, mouth agape ready to devourer the Garou.

--

"The Thunderwyrm has eaten him." Clear-Sky said as she opened her amber eyes.

"Does he know who the leader of the hive is?" Caller-of-Rats asked, his eyes never leaving the small Garou.

"No, but I have a feeling he may live long enough to find out." she giggled like the small child she is.

Caller's face was series, "If he does you know what it would mean for us?"

"We must not ask for what we want, we are only servants to our mother Gaia, if it is her plan for us to die before the end then we should not question her wisdom." she smiled, a real smile that filled Caller with warmth.

He sighed, "So he stirs up the hornets nest and we get stung to death."

"Better us then the mother." she smiled.

--

The inside of the Thunderwyrm seemed oddly like the physical realm. Floor, walls and ceiling seem to be like that of a old stone building, Kakashi made his way over slick stone deeper into the belly of the beast, his heart pounded in his chest so verily that his body trembled slightly, a normal reaction to all the Wyrm energy around him, but he had to push past it, but the thing most worrying was that nothing had attacked him yet, he knew that they knew he was here, they would easily be able to pinpoint him to his exact spot with help from the spirits.

"They are luring me into an ambush, but what really can I do?" he gritted his teeth, "I could tray shadow clones, but they would claw through them in no time and it would end up as a waste of chakra," he licked his lips under his mask, the prospect of a fearsome battle seeming oddly appealing to him, "this is going to be fun."

He made his way even deeper into the dark dank Wyrm pit, knowing that they crazed inhabits of this place could strike out at him at any moment. He could smell them, the stunk like an infected wound and degraded blood… how fitting.

"So this is the runt!!" a thick voice slurred.

A large Crinos form werewolf stood in front of the copy-nin, its oily black fur was matted with large bald patches covered in blisters, dark stag-like antlers grew from its head that was wrapped in razor-wire and its top canine teeth seemed more like tusks then fangs. A grin settled on its lips as it regarded Kakashi with its sharp yellow eyes.

"So, you're the welcome party." Kakashi said coolly.

"Our alpha sends his regards, that he could not be here personally to greet you, so his brother sent me to do the job." the black Garou slurred.

"I'm only here for my kin."

"You are here for your death!" the werewolf snarled, "Ill send your worthless spirit to your ancestors where there you can spread the word that Black-Bile will come and destroy all of you pathetic Gaian fools!"

"Send me to my ancestors? I won't even have to use my war form to kill a mutt like you!" he then took a fighting stance like Gai would use.

Kakashi look stock of his surrounding, the corridor they faced off in was big enough for the large bulk of Crinos form to move about freely, but there was not enough room for something like the Primary Lotus, he knew that this place had some sort of physical element to it meaning he could use jutsu, but he did not have long to think as the Dancer charged forwards with an ear-splitting howl and clawed hands outstretched. Kakashi rushed in to meet him as he formed a chakra dissection blade around his hand; before dark claws found soft flesh he turned his dash into a slide.

Skidding under his opponent Kakashi struck the knee with his chakra covered hand, severing the tendons around the joint and sending the deformed Garou stumbling to the ground, rolling away in time to miss getting clawed in the head.

Kakashi knew getting his in whilst in his breed form, his human form would be very bad, silver would not effect him in his breed form but he did not have the supernatural healing either. Rolling away again he felt the Dancer's jaws snap shut on empty air, shifting his weight onto his hands he brought his right leg up and around till he felt the heel connected with the side of the werewolf's head, flipping back onto his feet he uppercut the beast snapping its head back.

Black Bile shook his head and swung his right arm trying to claw open the copy-nin's chest, but the swift shinobi just ducked under and summoned another chakra blade. Darting between the wall and the Dancer's right side Kakashi struck the right shoulder, disabling the arm.

The claw only brushed him, but it was enough for the Dancer's Gift to work as Kakashi was sent flying down the corridor, a hollow thud as he landed. His back arched as pain shot through him from the bad landing, staggering to his feet Kakashi could see the black-furred werewolf charging towards him, head lowered and on all fours, the arm already healed, Kakashi knew if he wanted to win this fight, he would have to make the Wyrm Garou bleed.

With a grin hidden under his mask he used a Substitution Jutsu as the Dancer's horns smashed into stone instead of flesh and bone, Kakashi leaped onto its back and began to perform a few hand signs but was stopped when he felt a sharp pain shot through his ankles and shins, jumping off the Dancer's back he saw that its fur had turned into long porcupine quills. He pulled out the spines that had embedded themselves into his legs; the shinobis body shook as his mind screamed at him to turn into something with fangs and claws.

Kakashi quieted his Rage, he was going to kill this Wyrm puppet without leaving his human form, pulling his spiritual energy to empower himself the copy-nin charged in, adrenaline flowing through his vanes he leaped ones more at the Black Spiral Dancer and grabbed a hold of the left antler, razor-wire biting his hands as the Dancer's claws found the flesh of his left leg but he did not cry out in pain or falter in his attack as he snapped the wire wrapped antler of its head. Said werewolf howled in pain as he grabbed a hold of Kakashi and tossed him away.

"You will pay for that basted!!" Black Bile snarled as the silver-haired Garou got to his feet.

"Ill tell you now, all the wounds I make wont stop bleeding." Kakashi said darkly as he unwrapped the wire.

And the blood did flow, Kakashi used the wire and the pointed antler to inflect wound after bloody wound on the dark werewolf to the point it was becoming increasingly hard to keep there footing on the blood covered floor, the Dancer panted heavily but was not faltering, its wounds where bleeding heavily and refused to heal despite its race's regeneration ability but it was because of that ability that it remanded unaffected by blood loss.

Kakashi was awash in the Dancer's blood making his clothes stick to him like a second skin and discolour his skin and trademark silver hair, his leg started to feel weak from the large gash that the dark Garou had made, a number of smaller cuts not covered his hands from handling the wire, he knew that he had to end this and end it now he was wasting time. Taking the antler in his right hand Kakashi let some of his energy flow into it and through force of will started to reshape it into something of more use, a spear, the copy-nin pulled his arm back in a position to throw it.

"Come on you mongrel." he growled.

A crazed howl echoed through the corridor, frenzy taking hold of the Dancer, all rational thought gone as it charged headlong at the silver-haired shinobi. Kakashi snapped his arm forwards letting the spear go, the Dancers bulk smashed into him as a dead weight rather then a living fury. The Dancer's body shuddered but remained in Crinos form. Kakashi kicked the body off him and gazed at his fallen opponent, the spear had hit the right eye and embedded itself in the brain, killing it intently. Kakashi knew that when a Garou died that they would slip back into there breed form, human or wolf depending on the indivigal, but this one remained unchanged, still in war form, meaning that it was a Metis, the forbidden offspring of two full-blooded Garou.

But again he found himself lingering to long, lucky even over the strong smell of blood he could still find Sakura's sent as he limped along, the wound on his leg was not getting any better and he could tell a rib or two had been broken in the fight, he wondered if he should change shape to allow his wounds to heal some, but he did not want to risk his Rage flooding him he needed to stay calm.

He pushed open a thick iron door and peered into the dimly lit room, the darkened shade of pink at the far end of the room made his heart skip, he had finally found her. Sakura was shackled to the back wall, the restrains looked rusted and about to fall apart but he knew they where far stronger then they looked, her wrists and ankles where bloodied from her attempts to get free, she still had the same black dress on though the ends of it was in tatters, just thinking of what they could of done too her to get it like that made his blood boil.

"Sakura." he wisped her name as he brushed his fingers over cheek.

"Kaka-sensei?" she opened her green eyes slightly, "it's a.."

"Trap," he interrupted her, "I know."

"So the legendary copy-nin Kakashi falls for the bate not ones but twice." a deep voice spoke from out the darkness.


	9. Ch9: The Voice of Nihilism

-1Four Garou stood in the doorway, three of them wore their war form or wolf form but it was the one in front that got his attention the most. He stood there in human form wearing nothing more then black jeans and a black fishnet top that seemed to fit with his black spiky hair, but unlike any of the Black Spirals he had seen so far his body was perfect, no scars, no sort of marks or mutations what so ever. A sinister grin settled on his lips as it looked over the copy-nin.

The Dancer in human form shook with laughter "hehe so you're the Copy-nin en? Hehe the shinobi who happens to be a Garou eh?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed on the Dancer, his naturally dark one starting to turn gold, "Get out of my way!" he snarled, "I'm taking Sakura and going, and ill kill anyone who gets in my way."

The Dancer's cackle filled the room, "Yeah! Yeah! Fuck yeah! That's what I wanted to hear!" he laughed manically "I know all about you Kakashi! Your suppose to be the tuff shit on this block eh?

"You must be Zakmive then?"

"Hehe hell ya! And you killed my little pet bloodsucker, ill have to pay you back for that!"

The wind was nocked clean out of him as Zakmive elbowed him in the stomach, he had moved so fast that Kakashi had not been able to see him, even with the Sharingan. He gasped when his back slammed into the wall followed by the unmistakable crack of bones breaking as he took another blow this time to the chest. Kakashi knew he would have to change shape and try to get his body to heal some but at this point if he changed his wounds would drive him into frenzy, and if he frenzied he could well end up hurting Sakura.

Zakmive grabbed the copy-nin by his hair and jerked him forwards, razing his knee and slamming it into the shinobis gut earning a muffled grunt of pain from him, with another stern tug from the Black Spiral pulled Kakashi eye to eye with him. The copy-nin's red and gold eyes glared at the Dancer with so much hate it made a shudder run down the dark Garou's spine, his muscles bulged and rippled with barley controlled fury.

Kakashi could feel Zakmive's body tremble with mocking laughter, "Common man, show me your true form! Rage! Let it out! I know you want too," he grabbed Kakashi's wrist as he tried to claw him, "Stop playing man! Just Rage! It feels so damn good! Don't you enjoy it? The fire in your heart! The feeling of your prey's blood was over you, trickling down every part or your body! Its sweet taste in your mouth! It gives you a high no mix of drugs and sex could top!" the crazed yelps and howls of the Dancer's pack resonated off the walls as they enjoyed the show Zakmive was giving them.

"I will not let you goad me into a frenzy!" Kakashi spat at the Dancer holding him by his hair and wrist.

"Hehe Hell ya man! Still got some fight left in you eh? Your just like your old man!" his head snapped to the side as the copy-nin clawed him across his face with his unrestrained hand, Zakmive just grinned at him with a crazed glimmer in his eyes as he licked up a drop of blood that had trickled down to his mouth, "Do that again," he chuckled, "It feels good!"

Kakashi managed to push himself away from the Dancer. The copy-nin knew that he had lost a bit of control on his form seeing as now it was starting to lose some resemblance to a normal human, his muscles had bulged beyond what was normal for his lean form, nails had grown into dark claws and his hair had grown longer and more wild. His body had started healing, no longer did he breath in pain or limp on his leg. Zakmive brushed his fingers over the claw wound Kakashi had given him, he did not wince at any pain as he brutally poked at the gash with another dark chuckle the rubbed the blood over his face, licking at his hand and around his mouth in a hungry manna.

He turned his face to the side, showing Kakashi that the wound had completely healed, "Is that all you have man?"

The harsh sound of the chirping of birds filled the room along with the cold light of the charging Chidori in Kakashi's clawed hand, the three Black Spirals at the door snarled and backed away a step or two whilst Zakmive stood there, a board expression on his face.

"Get out of my way!" the copy-nin howled as he rushed in, the sound of what could only be described as a hawk's cry rang in the air as the attack landed.

Kakashi had his arm through the Dancer's chest, just left of his heart. Zakmive's face remained unchanging even as a small trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Flashy," he chocked out as his body shook again with more mocking laughter, "But you will have to do better then that."

Kakashi felt his arm being squeezed. By Mother Gaia, he was healing! The Dancer slammed an object into his chest, pushing the copy-nin free as well. The object that was trusted at Kakashi feel to the ground with a small thud, it was a small waxen seal that had the sign of the full moon etched on it, the silver-haired Garou froze as a shudder racked his body violently followed by the familiar feeling of bones snapping and reforming, he had lost control of his body as it started to shift into his lupus form, he snarled and snapped his jaws at Zakmive as he mocked him. The other Dancers had started to move in now, stalking him like he was a wounded pray animal and laughing like Haynes.

Zakmive rubbed his now healed chest, "Think your self lucky man, hell if it was not for my big brother we would of already skinned ya by now," Kakashi seemed to make a sound between a roar and a bark witch made the Black Spiral's mouth twitch into a grim smile, "hehe not like yourself down on four legs eh? Too bad you basted." he then proceeded to kick him in the jaw.

Kakashi could taste that metallic tang in his mouth, the taste of his own blood, how the Dancer had managed to force him into his wolf form he did not know but he guessed it had something to do with that wax seal. But far, far worse then this was the fact that he could feel a large amount of silver nearby, his eyes flicked to Sakura as he tried to think of a way to get her and make a retreat. The pick-haired medic had been drifting in and out of it for the past few minuets now.

Zakmive crouched in front of him and waved his forearm in front of the copy-nin, "Common man, don't you want to take a bite? I know you would like nothing better now then to taste my blood."

Kakashi snarled again, unable to word what he wanted to say in any human-speech, the three tomoe spinning wildly in his Sharingan but unable to do anything. His barley controlled Rage was blocking out his chakra using any sort of jutsu now was all but imposable; he was trapped in his wolf form, surrounded and on the edge of berserker frenzy.

Zakmive let his right hand grow the long jagged claws that would normally adorn the Garou's war form and then dragged them across his chest leaving small trails of blood in there wake. The way he moved his hand, the way he moaned as they cut his flesh, it was like the sick basted was trying to make it all seductive, slowly he sucked the blood from his claws one by one, licking his lips like he was savouring every drop.

"Want a taste?" he waved his hand in front of Kakashi, suddenly the dark Garou was on his back, trying to keep the copy-nin's snapping jaws at bay, "Woo Hoo! Now that's what I talking about!" he cackled, "Ok boys lets get him all gift wrapped up, brother will be pissed if he does not get his fun."

Kakashi felt himself be pulled back onto his hind legs as a muzzle made of pure silver was pulled onto his face. The Lunar metal burned like it was white-hot, his first taste of silver seemed far bitterer then he would have ever imagined it. The metal's hot bite struck again this time on his legs as the Dancer's wrapped him in lengths of heavy silver chain, the glee filled hollers and howls of the Wyrm born Garou merged into one crazed filled victory cry as he was held up by the scruff of his neck like he was nothing more then a trophy. Kakashi bit back a howl of his own, not wanting to give the Black Spiral Dancer's anymore sick pleaser, but his agony could be clearly seen as his body thrashed in its burning prison.

His jaws opened wide making the burning on his face more intense, it felt like he should be screaming, howling, his throat burned for release. But no sound past his lips. Then all went quite save for the beating of his heart that echoed solemnly in his head, he felt his limp body being dropped to the floor, the impact seemed numbed. His body had snapped, he was beaten, bound with silver and forced into his lupine form; by rights he should of frenzied but trapped as he is there was no outlet for his Rage. Starring blindingly as the pack of dark Garou casually walked out the room he closed his eyes and let the darkness wash over him.

--

Flap

Flap

_What is that?_

Flap

_Wings?_

Flap

_A Bird?_

Flap

_Where am I? W-Why is it so dark?_

Flap Tink

Kakashi lazily opened his eyes, feeling like he was having the worst hangover of his life. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the hazy blackness of Kami-knows-where, he focused his eyes onto the end of the accursed muzzle to see and black and white bird perched on the silver mesh. It pecked at the shiny metal at its feet like it was hoping to brake a piece off and take it away to a nest somewhere, it stopped for a moment to ruffle its feathers in what seemed to be frustration before regarding the Luna metal with its glassy black eyes.

"If you undo the clasp at the back of my head ill let you have it." Kakashi told the strange little Magpie.

The bird turned itself towards the trapped werewolf, turning its head this way and that as it blinked at him with something deep in those oily black eyes of its. It puffed up its thick coat of coal and snow before crowing at him and returning to pecking at the metal that burned the shinobi, Kakashi watched it as it tried to break the metal. What could a magpie spirit be doing here? And how did it get here?

But more importantly, where was here?

"Magpie," the wolf snorted, "are we in the Umbra? What is going on here?"

The bird-spirit looked up at the copy-nin, again twisting its head this way and that like it had all time in the world to form a reply, _"__Umbra?__"_the Magpie's voice echoed in the Garou's head, _"__Body no, mind yes.__"_

Kakashi frowned "So, this is a dream?"

"_Dream, dream, yes, yes." _it squawked with a ruffle of feathers.

"So, why are you here?" Kakashi shook his head as Magpie started to peck at the metal again, "or do spirits suffer from boredom as well?"

The bird-spirit flapped its wings to keep itself steady, _"__Kakashi not nice,__"_it cried, _"__Magpie come long way at Stormcrow__'__s request, many bad spirits try and kill Magpie, not nice, not nice.__"_

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Stormcrow, he was the avatar of Grandfather Thunder who is the tribal spirit of the Shadow Lords, one of the most powerful spirits known to the Garou, if his actions had got interest from Thunder..

"_Stormcrow apologises for not coming himself," _the spirit chirped with another ruffling of feathers, _"he thinks my gifts would help more."_ it the started to look around, like the darkness was of more interest then the shinobi was.

"But I have done nothing to earn your gifts."

Magpie turned its attention back to the Shadow Lord, hopping up the muzzle closer to Kakashi's face and leaned forwards, its black beak only an inch away from his eye. Like before it twisted its head this ways and that, like it was regarding something of interest. Kakashi could just imagine the bird-spirit plucking out his one golden eye as payment. There was a twinkle in its dark eyes as it puffed up its chest and let out a cry, with a giant beat of its wings it took flight.

"_My talons are yours, take what you will." _it cried as it flew off into the darkness.

--

Searing, agonising pain.

It was the first thing to welcome Kakashi to the wakening world.

Biting back against the pain he squinted his right eye open. Only a handful of low burning candles lit the room, the door closed and most likely locked and barred. He tried to look around without moving his body for every small movement was hell, he laid still trying to block out the pain so he turned to smell to tell him what his eyes could not, blood, burning wick, melted wax and salt.

The salt from tiers.

"Sakura," his voice was cracked, throat bone dry, "are you ok? Sakura?" he shifted about, ignoring the pain as he tried to turn and look at her.

"I'm sorry sensei," she sobbed, "It's my fault that your in this mess."

"Don't say that, if anything its mine, they wanted me so they went through you to do it." his body screamed as he forced himself to stand, legs trembling he could not rise to his full height, "Sakura-chan, look at me," blinking away a few unfailing tears she looked up, with the dim candle light she hoped that she would not able to see him clearly, but she was wrong, "lessen Sakura, this is a war to be fought by us shape shifters but I dragged you into this." he staged for a moment, the pain increasing by the second.

"B-But I was not able…" she trailed off at the end.

"Don't say stuff like that," he growled, trying to remember not to say anything in wolf-speech, "there will be things you can't do but you have to work around it and not dwell on them, trust me Sakura-chan, you are strong and we will get out of this." he then settled himself back down.

A small smile creped its way into her lips as she looked at him, "Thank you Kakashi-sensei, you know you started to sound a bit like Naruto at the end there."

"Dattebayo," the wolf grinned, "and stop calling me sensei."

Sakura was about to open her mouth to say something but a chorus of howls echoed around them, a harsh wakeup call to the situation they where in. Kakashi let out a low growl, to Sakura a howl was just a howl but to the copy-nin, to someone who could understand the howl it was much more.

"What are they?" Sakura asked, "they look like Garou but they are so twisted."

"There not Garou, well not anymore," he sighed, "they are death, death of innocents, death of hope, of love," he closed his eyes, "long ago before even Konoha was born, even before the 1st was born, there was a tribe known as the White Howlers, they where strong and full of pride but it was that pride that led to there downfall, for there right of passage for new werewolves they danced the black spiral."

"The black spiral?"

"You have heard of the circles of hell? It was there pride that took them there, every time they ventured into its depths they where mocking the Wyrm so really it was no surprise at what happened in the end.

"What happened?"

The silver-grey wolf remained silent.

"Tell me Kakashi-kun what happened?"

"The Wyrm swallowed every last White Howler up, then spat them back out, nothing more then twisted shadows of what they ones where, they where reformed into The Black Spiral Dancer's."

"So true, and many more dance the spiral day by day." the thick voice of Zakmive rolled into the room like some kind of dreaded fog.

Kakashi snarled at him, the Black Spiral had blood smeared all around his mouth and over his chest showing that he had been in some kind of feeding frenzy, a small deer head rested in his grasp, still worm and still dripping fresh blood.

"Here," he throw the head at Kakashi, the body part coming to rest near the wolf. The smell of the pray animal was intoxicating, the copy-nin would of liked nothing more at that moment to eat every last scrap of flesh from the thing, but that was what the Dancer wanted.

"No need to look at me like that man I'm only here to talk" he walked up to Kakashi and crouched down by him and shook his head, "why do you fight? I mean tell me? The world is dieing around you and don't deny it! I can feel it as well, so if you can feel it and I can feel it how can you deny that its not the case?" he stood up and racked his hand through his oily black hair, "hell maybe this world wants to be dead. Did you ever think of that? Maybe the loss of balance, for which mankind is more then a little to blame, is something that just can't be fixed no matter how hard you try. No matter how much blood drips from your claws?"

Kakashi did not say anything, in wolf or human speech. But glared at him with his red and gold eyes.

"There is only one way to fix what's broken; tear it all down and rebuild it from the foundation up. What you call rape and destruction of Gaia, I call a mercy killing in an effort to recreate that what has been lost. How can you call yourself a champion of the Mother when she is nothing more then an unkempt mockery of what she was in days past?"

"There are always other ways to fix, to heal," Kakashi barked, "you are nothing more then an infection, one that I will cure myself!"

The Dancers dark laugh rumbled, "You should rejoice in that we offer and strive to achieve. You should praise the passing sickness and the renewal of the universe through the purification of the cold fire of oblivion. Instead you waste your time fighting against the terminal cancer that has no cure, prolonging the inevitable."

"Has all hope really died in you!" the copy-nin snarled, his Rage burning inside, "are you blind to what the Wyrm is doing?"

Zakmive kicked the deer head at him, splattering blood over the right side of his face, "The Wyrm is doing what it has always done!" he yelled, "it is attempting to maintain balance through any means necessary. The only way to cure this affliction, this disease of imbalance, is to cauterize it completely," the Dancer then turned to leave, stopping briefly as he got to the door, "all we seek to do is light the pyres that will purify the universe into renewal, now is that wrong? Balance through destruction is still balance is it not?"

With his words ringing in the ears on the Gaian Garou, Zakmive slammed the door shut, the force casein some of the candles to blow out.


	10. Ch10: Out of Hell

-1Blood ran down Sakura's arms as she struggled in her restraints. The rust incrusted bindings where stronger then anything she had known, and what was worse was that they where eating any chakra that she summoned. Escape by her own means it seemed was useless.

"Relax Sakura-chan, I have a plan to get us out of here." Kakashi murmured like he was half asleep.

"Care to let me in?" she said, still struggling against her shackles.

"Not yet, but save your energy." this only resulted in a disgruntled snort from the pink-haired medic.

"Well you better put it into action soon Kakashi-kun, we don't know how long before they kill us."

There was a rustle of chains as Kakashi moved his head to get a better look at her, "They wont kill us, at least not yet anyway."

"How can you be so sure?" she hissed, the pain from her writs starting to set in.

"We are of more use to them alive," he said matter-of-factly, "if they can get me to dance the black spiral and turn me over to the Wyrm, they would then have hold over Konoha."

"But what good would it do them? I mean with Tsunade-shishou as Hokage they wont be able to do much."

"Your right, they wont be able to do much at first," he sighed, "but they have time on there side, if they could turn me into a Black Spiral then the Wyrm would be allowed to run rampant in the village."

"So your saying we would be faced with a disease far worse the what we where getting from the tainted food?"

"No," his voice was solemn, like he hated even thinking about what could happen, "powerful Wyrm spirits called Banes would start to posses people and turn them into Fomor, you have met them before, they where the things that attacked us on the night of my First Change. The Banes would go after members of the counsel and through them take over then I…"

"It would be only a matter of time - less then a year acutely - to turn every last Konoha shinobi into a Fomor puppet," the damned Garou Zakmive laughed, he had been checking in on them about every hour or so, making sure that they had not died, "pretty cool plan eh?"

"To bad it will never work!" Kakashi snarled at him, "I would die ten times over before I would join you!"

The Dancer shook his head, "Really man, I thought you would come up with a better line then that, do you know how tiered I get of hearing that! I guess you have not seen the true enlightenment the Wyrm can offer you."

"Save me your speech," Kakashi spat.

"I plan on it man, I'm not here to talk to you." he said with a crooked grin as he began to eye up Sakura.

He took his time walking up to her; every movement was set to taunt the chained werewolf. Placing his hand by Sakura's head he leaned agents the wall, taking in every detail of her body he kept that grin on his lips, she would of spat at him if her mouth was not so damn dry. That made her think, when was the last time she drunk or ate anything? Its not like she would of taken anything if offered in this place. But how long had they been there so far? A day? Maybe more? Had Tsunade-shishou got worried and sent a team out to look for them? A hum from Zakmive broke her out of her thoughts.

"Now the question is what do we do with you, Sakura-san," he tilted his head to the side, "far to pretty to make into a Fomor," he trailed a finger lightly over her collarbone, "and it really would be a waste to just make you into breeding stock."

"Get your filthy hands off of me!" she snarled as she tried to move her body away.

"Spirited too it seems," he chuckled darkly, "Yes what to do, you see my big brother really only showed interest in getting him," he nodded in head towards Kakashi, "but what can I do with you now that I have you in my paws eh?" he taped his chin, "yes what to do?"

"Let her go!" Kakashi voce dragged the Black Spiral's attention from the medic, "she has no part in this, and you know even if she told anyone they would not believe her."

Zakmive laughed at his words, "No part? She in Kin! She has every part in this as you or I!" the two werewolves glared at each other for some time before either spoke again, "tell me, Kakashi, has anyone told you of The Impergium? That spiritual scaring of all mankind suffers from even your beloved Kinflock friend here! Has that shit-licker Caller told you what real monsters we truly are?!"

Ignoring his own body's protests Kakashi leapt to his feet and lunged at Zakmive, the chains pulled taught but where held firm by they're bindings embedded into the wall. He would of most likely passed out from pain by now if he was human, but his anger, his Rage, his hate, all of it kept him going all be it a bit uncontrolled. His Garou mind was set, he would pull on his chains, and snap at his tormentors from now to Apocalypse come and continue doing so in whatever age came after. The Dancer seemed to enjoy dragging up Garou history to vex Kakashi, to try and make the Shadow Lord hate himself.

"Kakashi stop!" Sakura yelled at him, "you're only hurting yourself!"

But her cry did not seem to register in the copy-nin's mind; he was too far-gone for her to pull him to his senses now. Purely focused on Zakmive he seemed blind to his ex-student.

"I'm a Thurge man, the spirits tell me what that damned shit-licker has let you in on, at the moment your only acting like this as you don't want to hear my voice," he looked at Sakura, "but something tells me that you would be interested in knowing yeah?"

Kakashi had stopped clawing at the ground in an effort to get closer to his target. The silver, Kakashi realised was not only damaging on a physical level.

Zakmive turned his body so he was mostly facing Sakura, like he was planning of talking to her and ignoring the shinobi born wolf, "The Impergium was a massacre of human kind carried out by the Garou! A cull of the young and old alike for three thousand years!" he laughed, "I wish I could have been there," he loved the look on the medics face at that moment, the look of shock and horror, "but that's not all. When that culling came to an end we started the War of Rage, you see the other shape shifting races would not take us seriously when we told them we are the best, so we simply killed them!"

"That's enough pup!" a deep, lupine voice barked.

A large black dire wolf casually walked into the room, it was instantly recognised by Sakura as the wolf that stood over her when the pack had come to kidnap her. Its large bat-like ears twitched like it was picking up unheard sound and clenched in its mouth was another wax seal, exactly the same as the other one that was resting not to far from Kakashi. The wolf dropped the seal by the copy-nin and trigged the same reaction as before, Kakashi fell to his side as his body asserted itself in its lupine form. The loss of his own body's movement make him curl up, his tail now covering his face, looking nothing more then a huddled up ball of fur and silver chain.

"Your only to make sure they don't die, and that they don't brake before he gets back." the black wolf growled at Zakmive.

"Common man, its so dull here, at least allow me to have some fun with her." he nodded his head towards Sakura.

The wolf picked up the old wax seal in his jaws, and with one swift movement of its head, throws it at the cocky Dancer, hitting him on the temple. Zakmive staged back and cursed.

"Your forgetting your place pup! You may well be the Alpha's brother, but I am the Beta in this pack!" it snapped.

Zakmive just put his hands up, "Take it easy man, I was only kidding."

The bat-eared wolf snorted at the human form werewolf before turning its attention back to the copy-nin, "So this is Shingetsu no Kiba? I was expecting something more."

Kakashi moved his tail so it was no longer covering his face; "My name is Kakas…" he was cut off when the black wolf smacked him across the face.

"You still hold on to your human name?" the wolf slammed its paw down on Kakashi's neck, chocking the copy-nin, "you really are a fool! You are not human, it would be wise to shed any link to them."

"I'd.. rather… be a fool.. Then an insane.. Inbred like.. You!" Kakashi growled through gritted teeth.

The bat-eared wolf chuckled, "Insane? The concepts of sanity and insanity are legalist terms developed by humans for the judication of men through the vehicle of human law. We are not human, and therefore we are not subject to there laws!" he them removed his paw from Kakashi's neck, "I am Shingetsu no Tsume." he growled.

"So the fang and claw of the new moon eh? Sounds almost prophetic," Zakmive grinned, "even though the fang is not looking so sharp down there," the Dancer the looked up and clicked his fingers, "that's it!" he then pointed at Sakura, "when he dies we can give you his skin and make you into a full Garou!"

"Zakmive!" Shingetsu no Tsume barked, "that's enough! Now shut up before I claw off something you cant grow back!"

"All right, all right," he sighed, "did you wake up with a flea in your ass or something this morning?"

The bar-eared wolf just snorted and make his move to leave, Zakmive sighed and started to follow him, disappointed that his fun was cut short.

Zakmive stopped when he passed Kakashi, waiting till the black wolf had left and the click of his claws on stone had faded he began to speak, "In the war, us Garou killed off three of the other shifting breeds," his voice seemed odd for him, it held none of the glee that it normally had when he spoke of destruction, "one of them was the were-bats, they where completely hunted down and destroyed by one tribe. The Shadow Lords, how does it feel Kakashi? To know that your tribe has commuted genocide, how does it feel to know that you are a part of that?"

"Kakashi has no part in that! It happened a long time ago right!" Sakura yelled.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san, but as your not a Garou you wont understand," there was something in his tone of voice that told her he was being sincere about that last statement, or maybe she just imagined it. He make his way to the door but instead of leaving, he closed and barred it from the inside, "ah that's right I wanted to have a chat with you," he racked his hand through his black spiky hair as he made his way back over to her, "I have a offer for you," he rested his forearm on the wall above Sakura's head, "join me."

Sakura looked up at him, he face was only inches away from hers, and there bodies would touch if either of them took a deep breath.

"Don't say anything yet," he said, his warm breath was odourless, "all we have said since you where dragged here is Kakashi this and Kakashi that, well screw him! I'm asking you what do you want? Do you really want to blindly follow along with him?" Sakura blinked at him, not really knowing what to say, "I know that he is never really there for you, he keeps calling you weak, putting down your skills as a ninja. But I have to say, you imprested the hell out of me when you broke my jaw," he rubbed his jaw like it still hurt, even though it healed about 3 seconds after it was damaged, "I'm asking you if you want to come with me, you don't have to fight if you don't want too, just be by my side."

Sakura bit her lip and looked down at the ground, making sure her eyes did not fall on Kakashi, who had remained quite so far, not even a growl from the copy-nin. Zakmive saw the hesitation in her eyes, the confusion.

"Don't worry, there will be no supernatural stuff done on you," it surprised him how badly he wanted Sakura to join him, "just a yes and we walk out of this room together, you and I."

"And if I want to fight? What if I want to show them how strong I really am!" she said, her vivid green eyes now met Zakmive's brown ones.

His lips twitched into a smile, "Then we would help train you, you would be able to bring anyone too there knees," he leaned in closer, "even that brat Sasuke." his lips brushed her ear as he spoke the last part.

Sakura's eyes widened at the mention of her crush's name, or more precisely, overpowering him.

"I wont be possessed or anything?" she inquired.

"Nope." the Black Spiral Dancer smiled.

"Ok." she whispered.

Zakmive could not stop himself grinning from ear to ear, he wanted so much to gloat at Kakashi, rub it in his face that his beloved student left him, but that would wait till later. With a nodded he kneeled down in front of her and removed her feet from the shackles, using his own healing energy to clean up her ankles. Standing up he let his fingers trail up her smooth legs as he went, and making sure his body was firmly pressed against hers as he raised his arms up to undo the restraints around her wrists, he undid them one at a time, slowly lowering the arm whilst letting that healing energy flow into her shoulder, taking care of any cramps that may of set in from having her arms held high above her for so long. He brought her bloodied and painful wrist to his lips and placed a light kiss there, healing all her wounds.

Sakura blushed slightly and looked away, "T-Thank you Zakmive-sama."

"Sama?" he raised an eyebrow, "I like that." he whispered to her as he leaned in again to free her other arm.

He stepped away from her to allow the pink haired ninja to move freely, but it was not long before Zakmive put his hands on her hips to pull her towards him. Kakashi stared at them wide-eyed, but still managed to keep his Sharingan eye closed, his mouth slightly a gasp. He wanted to say something, but no words would come to him. One of Zakmive's arms snaked its ways around to Sakura's back, her arms where now firmly around his neck as he pulled her in for a kiss, his lips did not feel cold like Sakura imagined they would. The Black Spiral wanted to deepen the kiss so badly, but he would leave that for later, when it was only her and him.

"S-Sakura, don't do this!" it was not what Kakashi really wanted to say, but it was all his mind could come up with.

"Don't worry Kakashi," she smiled, her eyes never leaving Zakmive as she placed her hand on the side of his face. The Dancer gave a sigh of content as he snuggled his face into her hand, "I know exactly what I'm doing."

With that she then dug her thumb into Zakmive's right eye, she felt the orb burst under the force, a mix of blood and other fluids leaking out of the socket and down her arm. The Dancer screamed in pain as she removed her hand, balling it in to a fist she landed a chakra-imbued punch to the face. She then quickly made her way to Kakashi's side, snapping the small leather strap that held the muzzle on with ease.

"Destroy the seal!" he barked when he face was free of the wretched silver.

"Got it!" she did not use any chakra to destroy it, even with its enchantments, it was only a lump of wax.

"Sakura! Look out!" she heard Kakashi yell before a body was slammed into her, followed by the distinct sound of something sharp ripping through flesh.

She opened her eyes, not realising she had closed them, to find her face buried in the back of Kakashi's shirt. He had pushed her out of the way and taken Zakmive's attack, the human form copy-nin lie next to her; four fresh wounds ran across his body from his left collarbone to his right hip. Snapping into medic mode she made a few hand signs and tried to stop the bleeding, forcing the green healing chakra into the wounds, but she was stopped when then large hand on Zakmive's war form enveloped her hands and jerked her off the ground.

The black werewolf snarled at her as he pulled her up to eye level, blood oozed out of that hollow eye socket making the fur stick flat to his face, he brought a claw up to her face, "An eye for an eye, bitch!"

Sakura grinned evilly at him, before her form was shrouded in smoke for a second, "Don't get so cocky, brat!" Kakashi grinned through his mask; he had used a replacement to swap him and Sakura.

The copy-nin opened up his Sharingan eye. The appearance of the pupil and tomoe had changed, it looked somewhat like a pinwheel, Kakashi had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Time and space started to warp around unnaturally, Zakmive could not move as he felt his body start to strain from the effect of the jutsu, the Black Spiral yelped in pain as his arm was severed cleanly off dropping Kakashi to the ground. The limb twitched as it turned back into a normal human arm.

"What the hell was that!!" he growled as he grasped at the bloody stump, the only thing left of his right arm, "how the hell did you do that!"

"What's the matter? Can't grow your arm back?" Kakashi mocked him.

"Fuck you! Fuck you man! Ill fucking kill you!" he howled.

Kakashi channelled his chakra to his right hand, followed by the summoning of that filmier blue light and the crackle of electricity, "Raikiri!" he yelled as he lunched himself at the frenzied werewolf. There was no mercy in his attack as he felt his hand pass through the Dancer's black heart, a boom of thunder filled the room as Zakmive's heart exploded in his chest, his head fell forwards allowing a river of blood to flow from his mouth.

Kakashi pulled his arm free as the corpse fell back, his arm was covered thick with blood, and an odd blue flame shimmered around his hand. Clenching his fist Kakashi absorbed it into his body, he would have to find that Magpie and thank him for this ability, the ability to steal his opponents supernatural gifts and use them himself. The howling of the other dancers was growing close; the barred door would give them some time but not a lot.

"Are you ok Sakura?" he turned to her as she was brushing herself off.

"I'm fine, but how do we get out of here?"

Large dents where now forming on the door at the Wyrmish werewolves hammered on it relentlessly, Kakashi pulled Sakura towards him, guiding her arms around his neck and telling her to wrap her legs around him as well, normally she would of argued with him but these where far from normal circumstances. His shirt was sodden with blood that made holding onto him harder, he placed her hand onto the back of her head and gently got her to hide her face in the crock of his neck, now it was time to try out this new, stolen, gift.

"Don't let go of me, and don't open your eyes till I say so." he felt her nod agents her neck.

Sakura tightened her grip on him as it felt like someone had dumped cold water on them, the sounds faded as she felt him tighten his hold on her.

"It's time to go home." he whispered as he started running.


	11. CH 11: understandings

-1He really did not know haw he was still moving, every step was agonizing. Every movement of his lungs felt like they would snap his ribs, his arms felt like they would fall off as he held Sakura as tight as he dared. Even in the spirit realm, surrounded by the healing engagers of the Wyld, his body still screamed out in protest of every step. Spirits of small birds and mammals followed them cursedly as they made there way to Konoha, it would have been a lovely sight to behold, Kakashi carrying Sakura in his arms, the spirits of the trees looked like they where on fire with there forms constantly shifting, the small animals dancing around them, yes it would have been a lovely sight. If it was not for the batted state of the two ninjas, there clothes where shredded and soaked in blood, mostly the copy-nin's. He knew he would have some more scars by the time he was healed.

Even in the Umbra the gates of Konoha was a welcoming sight. The lesser spirits did not follow them pass the border, but Kakashi did not pay much attention to them, his attention was tracking Sakura's breathing.

"We are almost there," he placed a hand on the back of her head, "keep your eyes closed."

"Where are we?" her breath was hot on his neck.

"The spirit realm." he felt Sakura's breathing hitch as she tighten her grip on him, "I used the Gift I stole from Zakmive to bring you here, my guess that is how they got you to there den."

He was tempted to side step right then and there. He wanted to get Sakura out of this realm and back into the physical, but appearing as they where would raze some major questions. The Umbra was always dark, save for the glowing red light of the Anti-Sun, so he could not tell if it was night or day. But by the way the Spider spirits where sleeping, and yes spirits do sleep, it was night.

He pulled himself into his apartment, pushing the balcony door open. His legs finally giving out, they landed with a thud and a grunt as Kakashi managed to turn himself so he did not land on Sakura. Somehow he also managed to step-sideways in the fall, luckily getting back to the physical was a lot easer.

"Kakashi!" she looked up at him, feeling him arms fall away from her.

Straddling him hips, she made a few hand signs and began to heal his gaping chest wounds. Looking at the four cuts along his body, there was no mistaking them for anything but claw wounds. As the medic-nin stopped the bleeding she knew they would scar. Kakashi looked up at her as she worked on him, fresh sweat started to form on her brow as she forced more of her chakra into the now closing wounds. With a sigh she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"The claw wounds still have some healing to do, but that is the best I can do at this time, I need to work on your arms."

Carefully she lifted his right arm and pushed up his sleeve, the blood soaked cloth stuck to him like a second skin. Impressions of the chain links where left burned into his arm, needless to say she had never read up on how to heal silver wounds on a werewolf. Sakura decided that the best rout would be to treat the silver burn like chakra burns; Kakashi lie there quietly as her chakra soothed his painful arms.

"I thought doctors liked a challenge." he grinned under that mask at the sight of her confusion over his burns.

"This was not something I thought that I would be doing." she scowled, eyes staying on the task at hand.

"What? Healing your poor old Sensei?"

"No," she huffed, "Healing silver wounds on a werewolf."

"Oh," she sighed as he pulled his arm away from her, "can you move please your sitting on a… improper spot."

She mumbled an apology as she moved off him and sat by his side, picking up his other arm she began the healing process over again.

"I'm sorry if I offended you." she said quietly.

"Don't worry about it, I am a werewolf after all," he put his good arm behind his head, "it seems odd thinking about it, that I am and never was human."

"You are Kakashi, human, werewolf or other you have always been the same man, at least you have to me." she never looked at him as she spoke, eyes fixed on the wounds, like they where the most interesting thing around.

He watched her as she continued to heal him; her green medical chakra soothed every inch of his burns. Kakashi relaxed a bit more, he was starting to understand why Kinflock where so important to Garou. Sakura would never look at him like he was a monster, she would never understand him like another of his kind, but she was the next best thing.

"How long do you think it will take before they come for us?" Sakura's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"We will have some time, they did not attempt to follow us into the Umbra, so my guess would be that are waiting on there leader to get back before they make a move." he felt her put his arm down.

"That is all I can do right now, I don't know if they will leave any kind of scaring, so you may have to thing up some explanation for them at your next physical." she tried to make the end part sound like a joke.

"I'm sure they will heal fine." he said as he held his arms in the air to get a good look at her work.

They both sat there quietly, thinking of what to do next. Sakura got up and allowed herself to stretch, it seemed hard to believe that not long ago they where both imprisoned, but where now safe back at home. It was easy to dismiss it all as Genjutsu, but looking at Kakashi brought back the harsh reality of what happened. The pink-haired medic rubbed her shoulders, thanks to the gullible Dancer, they did not hurt what so ever. Generally it was not a good idea to let an enemy heal you like that, but she had to go with it.

"What are we going to tell shishou?" Sakura asked as she gazed out the still open balcony door.

"We will have to sort that out tomorrow," the copy-nin sighed as he pulled himself to his feet, "tonight we need to rest, we cant go to the Hokage like this can we?" he jested to the bloody state they where in.

"I agree," she tucked a stray strand on hair behind her ear, "ill come back in the morning so we can decide."

"Wait!" he grabbed her arm as she was going to leave, "stay here."

She blinked at him, "Kakashi?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "They are going to strike out at us as some point, it would be wise if we stayed together for now." he gave her that eye crease she knew so well.

"Ok," she sighed, "but I need to go and get some things."

"Ill go," he said as he let go of her arm to disappear briefly into his room, "go and have a shower." he nodded towards the bathroom as he handed her some of his clean clothes.

She smiled at him as she took the clothes and said her thanks, heading to the bathroom he could tell by the way she walked that she was extremely tiered. Kakashi stood there quietly as he watched her disappear into his bathroom and softly closed the door behind her, his sigh covered up by the sound of the running water, she was not acting like herself. But considered what she had just been through it was understandable.

The wind howled as the silver haired werewolf stepped outside, there was a full moon tonight; he could feel it pulling on his blood. At times like this, the lines between his human side and his other became blurred. He grabbed control on himself, he had to be careful, if he let his mind wonder, if his hold on his Rage slip for even just a second. It would have fatal consequences. Puling his hand on the railing he vaulted over the edge with no effort, landing almost soundlessly on the road below, in the darkness of the night his bloodied form would of gone unnoticed by any passes by. Kakashi walked strongly showing no outward signs of injury, there was no fresh blood on him that would glisten in the moonlight or alert a keen nosed shinobi. But most of all, Sakura's apartment was not too far from his; so running into someone at this time was slim.

Purchasing on the windowsill he looked into the moonlit room that was Sakura's bedroom. Even though the window had been left open it still strongly stunk, even to a normal human. The relentless stink of urine hung in the air, but it was the other kind of stink that made Kakashi not want his pink-haired medic back anytime soon, the apartment stunk of the Wyrm. He slid into the room and picked up the bad she used for long missions and started to pack some of her clothes and underwear - he knew he was going to get a smack for that later - but as he went to go to her bathroom, he stopped.

The moonlight gleamed on the silver frame that stood on the dresser beside her bed. He recognised the pitcher instantly, he had a copy of it as well, the photo of when Team 7 was first formed. His smiled looked so forced in that, but no one but him could tell as of the mask, it seemed odd looking at his old self, the masked man totally ignorant of what he really was. Sakura in front of him smiling, happy to be in the same photo as her crush, and the boys glaring daggers at each other. He wondered how they where doing, and what where the true nature of the forces they where dealing with.

"_If the Sharingan has the same energy as the Eye of the Wyrm, what does that mean for the Uchiha Clan? And I wonder what the nine-tailed fox really is."_

His lone eye drifted to the photo sitting next to the one of Team 7. It was of her parents, he did not know anything about them, but it did make him wonder, did his mother know about his fathers true nature? Was his mother Kinflock like Sakura? He grabbed the bag of toiletry from her bathroom and made his way home, hoping that nothing had happened to her in the short time he was gone.

Any small fears he had where unfounded as he found her sitting on the sofa, dressed in his clothes and drying her hair with a towel. There was something about seeing her wearing his shirt, something that stirred him on a primal level, or maybe that was the full moon, it was hard to tell nowadays.

"Thank you Kakashi-kun." she smiled at him as he set her bags down next to her.

"Think nothing of It." he waved back as he disappeared into the bathroom.

He locked the door behind him; just encase Sakura got any ideas. He played with one of the frayed edges on his shirt; in an effort to vent even a smallest portion of his rage to tore the clothing off his frame. Kakashi ran the water as hot as he dared and let the droplets pound his skin, the water ran red as it left his body, the copy-nin rested his head agents the tiled wall and growled. The skin of the shinobi rippled now and again as the spiritual trauma or what he endured became apparent. He bit his lip; a long canine fang cut the flesh, casing a small trail of blood to trickle down his chin.

"_The world is dieing around you and don't deny it! I can feel it as well, so if you can feel it and I can feel it how can you deny that it's not the case?" _

His jaw tensed, digging the fang even deeper.

"_Hell maybe this world wants to be dead. Did you ever think of that?"_

The blood trailed down his neck, not wanting to drip from his skin.

"_No matter how much blood drips from your claws."_

His mind was ignoring every cry of pain from his flesh.

"_Balance through destruction is still balance is it not?"_

The fang had fully pierced his lip now, but still he bit down.

"_Monsters among monsters.__"_

The trail of blood had grown cold as it made its way over his chest.

"_We are not human, and therefore we are not subject to their laws!"_

"Not human? That is one thing I agree with you on." he growled to himself as he started to scrub his skin, not caring about aggravating his wounds.

He turned off the water and licked his already healed lip; he had almost list it there. Kakashi started to wonder if it was a good idea to keep Sakura here, with him at a seemingly delicate mental state. The young Garou grasped at his heart, wondering if some taint had managed to seep in. The Black Spiral Dancers where like a slow acting poison, and so where there methods, you would not know when you where infected, but slowly the poison would kill you one cell at a time and they would enjoy watching you ride in agony. But in the case of the copy-nin a slow corruption could be inshore, he could only hope that sit spirit was strong enough till he could get help from the old werewolf Sight-of-Snow. Wrapping a large towel around his body, he started to dry himself off.

"Kakashi?" Sakura nocked on the door, the water had been turned off sometime ago but he was still in there, "are you ok? Kakashi?"

She tried to open the door but the damned fool had locked it, she could just break it down but that would be a last resort. Still no sound from the other side, Sakura took a step back and assisted her chakra levels, she had enough to for what she wanted to do. She had not preformed this jutsu properly before, but now seemed to be a good time to try, making the necessary hand signs she found herself enveloped by smoke. How he managed to always travel like this was a mystery to her.

"Kakashi." she called to him as she waved her arm, trying to clear the smoke.

The silver haired shinobi was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, knees pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around them, the white towed covered his body and his face was hidden by his arms.

"Kakashi-kun?" she whispered.

His dark eye stared off into space, carefully Sakura brushed the damp hair out of his face, and he was not shaking, as she through he would be. He did not move as she put her arm around him.

"Kakashi? What's wrong?" she asked as she rubbed his arm in a comforting manner.

"I'm just tired." he said as he leaned into her.

"You take the bed tonight then."

"No ill be fine," he smiled as her, "I guess I'm just relearning my limits again, even Garou can be worn down."

"Are you sure? Your not acting like yourself."

"Just some withdrawals from not being able to read my book." he joked.

She rested her head against his shoulder with a sigh, "You had me worried." she admitted.

"I'm sorry," he yawed into his arm, "you take the bed and get some sleep, you have used up most of your chakra" he saw her about to argue with him, "Don't argue Sakura-chan."

"I mean it, don't argue, please."

She scowled at him, but agreed. Kakashi waited a few minutes after she left before moving.

Sakura could not sleep. Kakashi's bed was comfy so it was not that; it smelt strongly like him too, like the forests outside the village after a heavy rain. She rolled onto her back and sighed, it was not that she was worried about her safety either, she knew what she was up against and Kakashi was just in the other room. But try as she might, she could not will herself to sleep. Giving up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and ran her hand through her pink locks.

Kakashi was sprawled over the couch asleep when Sakura opened the door, wearing nothing more then his shots and his mask, with the orange covered book that lay open on his chest. Sakura walked over to him and gently brushed the ends of his hear.

"Can't sleep?" his voice almost startled her.

"Sorry did I wake you?" she dropped her arm to her side as he sat up.

"No, I was faking," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I can't sleep either."

"It's a full moon out, don't you want to…"

"No," he chuckled, "but I do want to sleep." he grinned, with one swift movement he picked the medic up in his arms.

"What?! Kakashi what are you doing? Put me down!" she demanded as she struggled in his arms.

"If you insist." he said as he dropped her onto the bed.

"What do you think you are doing?!"

"Helping both of us get to sleep."

Before she could say anything a grey wolf jumped up onto the bed and snuggled up next to her. It took a moment for her to realise what he was doing, but she then put her arm around him like he was a normal dog.

"I did not think you would want to take that form again, not after what you went through." she murmured into his shoulder.

"Its not so bad." he growled back as he felt her fall asleep.

--

As a cool dawn broke over the ninja village, an unfamiliar individual passed through the gates. The tall blond haired woman sighed in relief at finally retching her destination; she was no older then 23, wearing baggy camo pants and a black t-shirt. She adjusted her backpack as she approached the guards.

"State your business." Kotetsu demanded from the stranger.

"My name is Shiroi To, I arranged my visit awhile ago." the blond haired female smiled at them.

Kotetsu looked at his partner, Izumo as he looked over a scroll. He nodded to Kotetsu, showing that her visit was approved.

"I studded rumours of the supernatural, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, stuff like that." she spoke up, not able to stand the quiet.

"Werewolves?" Kotetsu laughed at the absurdity of it all, "Well what ever, enjoy your stay."

"Vampires?" Izumo laughed when she was out of hearing range, "what kind of Genjutsu did she get stuck in?"

The two went back to their guarding duty, getting over the amusing start to their morning.


	12. Ch12: Another Problem

Kakashi was able to leap away in time to avoid getting crushed by one of demon fox's many tails. The Rage that rolled off the mighty beast easily drowned out his own, as the fox and wolf started each other down, surrounded by the burning rubble of the village they both use to call home. Fire scorched the sky as the smoke chocked what was left of the living, the bloodied and war torn werewolf climbed what was left of a fallen building, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. It was much, much worse then Kyuubi's first attack on Konoha. Shinobi corpses lay scattered and broken like a child's toys, screams cracked the night as another wave of a red furred tail sent more souls back to Gaia.

Kakashi let out a deep howl. He howled in rage, in sorrow. He was pissed that he could not do anything, that he let this happen. The red haze settled on his mind as he lunged at the fox in his war form. The Kyuubi just laughed as it easily grasped the frenzy Garou in its giant paws.

"You brought this on yourself, sensei." the voice it spoke with, was not the demon's own, but with Naruto's

Time seemed too slow as Kakashi was hurled skywards by the 9-tail's. Black spears of smog pierced the sky as the air turned hot, the smell of disease grew stronger, with his back to the earth below him Kakashi could not see what was happening, he did not need too, he could feel it. Death beyond death, to the depths of no return humanity sank, Luna above him hung shattered, torn asunder by the same calamity that as now ravaging his home.

Not Kyuubi, he could not do anything like this.

Pain shot through him as his body jerked then stilled, he found himself no longer falling. He shuddered ones then began to turn back into his human form, the copy-nin started to drown on his own blood as his dead weight dragged his body down the sickly green and scaled dragon tail that he had been impaled on. Kakashi could only watch as Fire country was burned in green flames, twisted monsters crawled out of hiding in its wake, set on devouring the flesh of the living and dead alike.

"I won't let this happen, you hear me?" he screamed to whatever spirit had been guiding his dreams.

The ground split below him as the tail's owner trashed against the last restraints of its prison, trying to escape to this realm. Kakashi knew he would be the last to die here, both as a shinobi and as a Garou. A new tightness came over his chest as he willed himself to wake up.

Kakashi's eyes snapped open. The sunlight came flooding into his room, everything was ok, none of it was real. Except for the tightness of his chest, the large grey wolf struggled to look down, trying not to wiggle and wake his friend. He saw Sakura's arms draped around him; this made him more aware of thier current positions. She was peaty much spooning him, her face was in the fur at the back of his neck, and his tail was pined between her legs. A wolfish grin slipped onto his dark lips, it would be too easy for him to slip back into human form, but something told him that Sakura would just end up hitting him.

He sighed and relaxed into her embrace. They would have to report to the Hokage today, and he knew that they had to come up with something really good for the 5th to believe, something to explain everything but tell nothing. But the copy-nin did not worry; he was confidant that they would come up with something convincing.

Sakura stirred slightly as she tightened her grip on the wolf. Kakashi knew that worrying about the Hokage could wait for now.

"What time is it?" His fur muffled Sakura's voice.

"8:15." he growled, reading the glowing red numbers on his clock.

She grunted and bearded her face deeper into his fur, not wanting to get up yet.

"How are you feeling Sakura-chan?"

She could feel his tail wag between her legs, "I'm fine, but how is your legs? I did not have the chakra to heal them last night."

"They are fine." he said as he rolled of his side and onto his stomach.

Sakura looked half asleep, one of her arms still draped over him lazily. He pressed his nose to hers, she did not push him away or anything the like, and she threaded her fingers through his thick, soft fur. Kakashi was surprised by this but did not complain, as he found her genital scratches behind his ear to be relaxing, but he had to wonder. In this form did she stop seeing him as Kakashi-sensei, the man she had known from when she was 13, or did she see him as a tamed wolf who looked a bit like her old mentor?

"I'm sorry." she said as her green eyes rested on his single golden.

He frowned, putting his ears back, "What for?"

"For punching you, when we parted way after the incident at the club."

"Don't worry about it."

"No please lesson," she pleaded, "I realise now that we may never see each other again after every goodbye and-"

"And you don't want our last to be in anger." it was a statement, he knew what she meant.

The pink-haired medic wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, "I already lost Sasuke and Naruto, and I don't want to add you to the list as well."

He twisted around in her arms, letting his body turn back into its human self, slowly as not to startle Sakura with sensation. Pulling her closer to him, he rested his cloth covered chin on top of her head.

"It will take more then a pack of Black Spiral Dancers to take me away." never did he think that he would be comforting Sakura in his bed.

"How can you be so sure? All they need to do is get lucky ones."

"They wont, " he rubbed her back, "common we need to get ready, we have to see the Hokage."

She sighed, not wanting to face her shishou today. But she did not resist when Kakashi moved away and pulled her up.

--

"So, your fully coming to terms with you fathers death?" the honey-eyed woman raised an eyebrow, going over what her parents and the copy-nin had just told her.

"Hai, mostly all that he went through leading up to the event." the copy-nin said, with his hands in his pockets.

"I suggested it to him a few months ago, that's why he has been a bit out of character." Sakura added in, they agreed that she should do most of the talking.

"So you thinking of moving back into your old home?" there was a glint in her eye that made the copy-nin nerves.

He rubbed the back of his head, "Well not for some time."

"Well then," she sighed, "Hatake, your on standby till further notes, Sakura, if you think you are fit we need a hand at the hospital."

"Right away shishou." the pink-hared woman bowed before leaving.

Kakashi gave a small bow of his head and went to depart.

"Kakashi," the Hokage's voice rooted him on the spot, "as you have not been her sensei for some years now the laws against student-teacher relationships does not apply to you, but let me tell you, a lot of people won't like it."

"There is nothing like that between us."

The blond Hokage smirked at him, "You keep telling yourself that Kakashi, you have to be blind not to see the effect she has on you."

"She is an important person to me," he was looking off to the side as he spoke to her, "more important then I ever realised." he then poofed himself away.

"Cryptic basted," she sighed as she pulled out a hidden bottle of sake, "and what are you hiding from me?"

--

He normally would have gone home to await any orders, but it had been too long since his last visit.

"Hay, sorry it has been so long," he looked down at the old memorial stone, "Its been hard, juggling shinobi life and…" he stopped, racking his hand through his silver mane, "I'm a werewolf."

The wind picked up, covering up Kakashi's sigh.

"I'm not a man eating monster or anything like that," he sighed, "how much do you already know? How much did you know, before."

The copy-nin stood there in quite contemplation, anyone who saw him would not suspect anything out of the ordinary.

--

Sakura knew if there was any justice in this world, it was not to be found at the hospital. She had just had a day trip to hell only to be worked to death in its counterpart, the pick haired medic sighed as she put away another file, it seemed a months worth of paperwork had been dumped onto her desk and it had to be done in a week. Scowling at the stack that still remained, maybe she should of taken Zakmive up of his offer, surely working for the Wyrm could not be any worse then doing all this damned paperwork.

A nock on the door brought Sakura out of her concentration, "Come in." she sighed.

A tall, blond haired woman, who she was unfamiliar with, entered the room, "Hello, you must be Sakura?" she smiled.

"Hai, how can I help you?" she asked, hands folded on her desk.

"My name is Shiroi, I was wondering if you could help me, I need information."

Sakura rose an eyebrow, "You know we have patent-doctor convadentualety."

"That is ok, what I'm after is not the victims themselves, but the wounds, you see I have been tracking something dangerous."

The medic's brow furrowed, "Dangerous?"

Shiroi nodded, "do you have any records of someone being attacked and injured, but they don't know who attacked them?"

Sakura was not fully scowling at the blond, "Shiroi-san, this is a ninja village, a lot of the men and women we treat don't know who attacked them."

"Ah, sorry let me rephrase that, I meant by don't know who attacked, they have no memory of how the got the wound."

Sakura leaned back in her chare, "Are you talking about amnesia?"

"No, well, sort of, its hard to describe," she laughed, " this never gets any easier to explain, the only thing they can't remember is getting attacked, but find out they have bite and claw wounds the next day."

"No sorry, the only bite wounds we treat are from ninkin and tigers, and everyone remembers how they got them."

Shiroi sighed, "Ok, thank you for your time Sakura-san." she bowed to the medic.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is this dangerous thing you are tracking? Surely if it was so dangerous we would of already heard about it." Sakura asked before the blond reached the door.

"You wont believe me if I told you." she replied, eyes cast down.

"Try me," Sakura grinned, "I have come across some pretty weird stuff."

"I'm hunting down, Vampires, Werewolves and stuff like that."

"W-Werewolves?" Sakura blinked at her.

"I know you don't believe me," she laughed, "I'm sure to that look, thank you again for your time Sakura-san."

Sakura sunk back into her seat when Shiroi left and nervously began chewing on the end of her pen. This was bad; this stranger knew about the Garou, she needed to talk to Kakashi about this, to worn him to lie low. She would have to run over in her lunch brake or something, but hopefully he would just stay there and read his perverted books.

"Yo!"

Apparently he was not going to make this any easier.

"Kakashi-kun," she hugged him, "I need to talk to you." she glanced back at the door to make sure it was closed.

"Oh? What's wrong?" he tilted his head to the side.

She leaned into him, "You know when you transformed at the club, and that you need to keep the Garou thing a secret?"

He hummed and nodded his head.

"Well what is stopping someone from remembering and finding out?"

He could see the worry in her eyes, "That won't happen, when someone sees me in my war form they will suffer from the Delirium, they will be so overcome with fear that they will run, the mind and spirit can't handle the shock of the ordeal that they simply forget about it, they wont remember even if they get wounded."

She rested her head against his chest, "Getting wounded, but not remember how they got It." she mumbled to herself.

"But you never answered my question Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"

"Kakashi-kun," she sighed, "I think we have a problem."

"Another?" he chucked, "What is it? Did more tainted food show up?"

"No, it's, there is someone who knows about the Garou."

"Someone who knows?" he stepped back to get a look at her, "Did anything happen? How did you find out about them?"

"They where here, just a moment before you showed up, they where asking if we had treated anyone with bite or claw wounds but they did not remember how the got them."

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, "Well my guess they are not kinflock, if they where they would not be asking about stuff like that so openly."

Sakura sat back at her desk and gazed her work, "Do you think that she is not human?"

"Can't say, not without meeting her anyway, even then if she is she may now show her true nature unless she has too," he sighed, "and the Delirium is not totally foolproof, there are some who can resist it."

"Like me?"

"No," he sat on the edge of her desk, "as kin you are not effected by it, the Delirium is the scar of The Impergium, so when they see us, me, in our war forms, all the anger, and fear, comes rushing back."

"So they will try and kill you?" she racked her hand through her hair, "another one to add to the list."

He chuckled at her and ruffed her hair, "It will be fine as long as I stay away from them, just tell me what they look like?"

"Tall, blond, wearing camo pants and a black T-shirt, she looked a bit like an older Ino really," Sakura sighed, "are you sure you will be ok?"

"I will be fine," he grinned at her under that mask, "I only transform for you Sakura-chan."

She responded by pushing him off the end of her desk. He pouted at her with mock hurt as he landed on his feet.

"Shouldn't you be waiting at home for orders?"

He shrugged, "I have left a clone there to take messages."

Sakura just rolled her eyes at her ex-sensei, leaving a clone was typical Kakashi.

"Is there anything I can do to throw our new friend off any trail?" she asked.

"Just give her ninkin attacks if she comes back." the pulled out his book and sat himself back on her desk.

"Kakashi."

"Sakura?"

"Why are you sitting on my desk?" she asked with a razed eyebrow.

"Because I don't want to move if you get any more visitors."

"But why are you staying here? You need to get home!"

"No can do, we have to stay together remember." he said plainly as he turned a page.

"Fine," she huffed, "but I still need to get all this work done." she gusted at all the remaining paperwork.

"You wont know that I'm here." he gave her that happy eye crease.

"Some how I doubt that." she mumbled to herself.

The only sound that filled the room was the scratching of a pen, and the gentle turning of pages. Sakura was not off put by him being there, she found it to be quite comforting in a way she had not felt for sometime. Her eyes drifted from the forum she was reading to him briefly, she still have the memories of last night still burning in her mind, the sight of him almost drained seemed surreal, sure she had taken care of him when he ran on out chakra, but this seemed to be on a totally different level. Then came the images of them in bed, he was unbelievably warm and soft it made her stomach do back flips, the last time she had slept that well was when she was a small child, she had a soft toy that was about as big as her that would help her sleep.

She turned over to the back of the forum, just to make it look like she was doing something and not daydreaming. But she could not stop thinking about the morning, they would have been killed, figuratively speaking, if anyone had found them like that, she could tell how gentle he was being when he turned back into a human. From watching him shape shift she could tell it was a violent act, and had most likely hurt when it first happened, but at that moment, when she was holding onto him, it flowed like water.

"Would you really do it?" she asked, almost out the blue.

"Hmmm?"

"You said you would transform for me, would you really do it?"

"Of cores." there was no hint of tease in his voice, it was a real answer.

"Funny, you would show me all your forms, some would say your darkest secret, but you wont show me your face."

"You have seen it." his eyes stayed on his book.

"I did not, it was to dark to see, and anyway my mind was having a hard time taking everything in."

"Oh? I see."

They where quite and still for a few moments, neither reading nor writing. Kakashi's gaze was fixed out the window, whilst Sakura's was fixed on her work.

"Thank you, Kakashi-kun." she said under her breath, but regardless, Kakashi heard it.

--

The self-proclaimed hunter of all things supernatural was enjoying a drink at one of the local teashops, causally going over her notes. She had not found anything new so far, but that was normal considering that she had only been at the shinobi village for a day. Finding anything in the first day was slim.

The blonds attention was shifted from her writing as she noted the familiar sight of pink, "Hello, Sakura-san." she smiled at the pink-haired medic waving at her.

"Hi Shiroi-san," she smiled back and sat down at her table, "I found something that may interest you," she handed the blond a neatly folded piece of paper, "a dog bite on a civilian, he did not know about it till he showered in the morning."

"Thank you! So, does this mean you believe me? Or just humouring me?" she grinned at the medic.

"Well it could be some strange form of jutsu, something worth looking into." Sakura just smiled back.

"Or a disease," Shiroi mumbled to herself, she then glanced at her watch, "shit! Sorry Sakura-san, but I have to go." she hastily gathered her book and notes into her bag.

"Good-bye, Shiroi-san," she waved, "and I'm sorry but I have to find out how much you know." she said under her breath.

The pink-haired medic pulled a tan covered book from under the table. The hunter did not really think that a medic would have some ninja skills, hopefully she could get all she needed from the diary before Shiroi realised it was missing. Making the necessary hand signs, Sakura managed to poof herself back to her ex-sensei's apartment. Chocking as she waved the smoke away.

"How in Kami's name can you travel like this all the time?" she glared at the silver haired man sitting next to her.

"Find anything?" he asked without looking at her.

"I managed to get one of her books, hopefully it will have something in there."

"You know just taking the book will make her suspect you if she finds out," he sighed, "How did you get her to drop her guard?"

"I gave her a medical report about a man getting bit by his pet puppy." she grinned.

"Interesting move, now, anything in that book?" he asked, his own book now laid closed on his lap.

"Hai, Hai give me a moment," she said as she flipped through the dog-eared pages, "I saw it again, the monster must not of sensed me as it shed its human skin and reverted into its true form, the towering bipedial wolf with light grey fur," she looked up at him, "sounds like she saw it shifting into its war form, " her brow furrowed, "grey fur, sounds like you!"

Kakashi just shrugged, "Grey is a common colour for wolves, and our fur does not always reflect the colour of our hair, so I doubt its me she is talking about in there, unless there are any notes about fur markings or scars."

Turning back to the book, Sakura flipped through some more pages and began to read, "I can report news of another sighting, this time at a club called The Phantom, the wolf started fighting another supernatural - possibly undead as it was only seen with a human shape - and I glimpse it guarding a pink-haired woman, a pack mate? A human breeding partner? Or has she simply been fooled into believing it was some sort of jutsu?"

She shot him a nerves glance, if Kakashi was worried about this, he was hiding it well.

"After talking to some of the people after the incident they all refused what they saw, just like normal, why? Why can't they believe what was right there in front of them? Sometimes I wonder am I the only one that can really see what it out there?"

Sakura turned the page, almost dreading to read on.

"Kami is on my side, I found some one who was able to give me a vage description, but it's a lead, a man saw a grey haired male wearing a cloth mask covering the bottom half of his face and what seemed like one eye, but he could not be sure if the missing eye was just a trick of the light. But if the mans hair to be silver, not grey, and he really did have one eye, that would make him the legendary Copy Ninja."

Sakura locked eyes with her ex-sensei, "Kakashi-kun?" she bit on her bottom lip.

"Check her last entry." he said calmly.

"I found the pink haired woman, her name is Sakura, she did give the reaction I was excepting but it was hard to tell after that, she did not outwardly reject everything unnatural like some others have, ill have to ask her about the Copy-ninja if I can get…"

"It ends there, that must be when I walked up to her." she sighed.

Kakashi just gave his normal half-lided stare, " Looks like she is a smart one, she found out as much as she could before coming here."

"But Kakashi-kun, we have a problem, a really big problem."


	13. Ch 13: Hunter

Kakashi watched Sakura as she paced back and forth. To say she was worried about what they had found out would be an understatement, so Kakashi just lie there across the couch like a lazy cat, nothing like a high-strung wolf like he should be. His lone eye followed her as she walked the length of his living room whilst muttering about how much trouble they where in, she had read the book from cover to cover many times.

He almost jumped out of his skin when she leapt onto his lap; "Look!" she pushed the book into his face whilst pointing at an entry.

Kakashi took the book from her, trying to ignore that ones again she was sitting on an body area that she should be keeping away from, he swear that she was doing it on purposes. He sighed as she started to read the entry she had pointed too, it was an old entry, about two years ago, she had managed to track down a solitary and wounded Garou in its wolf form, it went on to say how she has used a silver headed arrow fired from a crossbow to finish it off. So this is what she was so worried about.

"The wolf was alone and wounded, she got lucky, it was not any testament to her skill." he said plainly.

"But Kakashi-kun!" her face was tight with worry.

"Do-not-worry, you will only make yourself ill, as Caller-san said, there has only been three Garou born from shinobis, so normal werewolves wont have the same training, there is nothing she can do to me."

"I know but-"

"No buts," he interrupted, "she can't attack me in the day time, and if she tried she would have the village on her in no time."

"I think your taking this too lightly."

In a flash he was on top of her, pinning her to the couch, "And I think you worry too much." he grinned.

"I have to worry this much as you don't worry at all!"

The copy-nin chuckled, "For the last time Sakura-chan, don't worry about me, you have enough stuff to worry about with your training and work, speaking of which, shouldn't you be getting back?"

"No," she said as she managed to get out from under him, "I took the rest of the day off."

"Do you think that is wise?"

"I have pulled so many shifts lately that no one will think anything of it," she sighed, "and did you see the amount of paper work I had? I swear I would of gone insane if I stayed there any longer."

He sat up so Sakura could sit down by him properly, "You got any plans for tonight?" he asked as she flopped down beside him.

"Got any plans?" she razed an eyebrow, "I cant really go out now can I?"

"Sakura, we have to go on like nothing is happening, and don't worry about getting others hurt, I don't think they would attack us in the open like that."

"Maybe your right. She sighed.

The medic was in no mood to argue with the new moon, and she really did want to go out and see Ino, Hinata, Tenten and the others. Thinking back on it she has not had a night out in months, even before Kakashi went through his first change she was boarding on no social life.

"Well Ino did invite me out for a drink, and it has been a long time sense I last talked to her."

"So its set then, you will spend some time enjoying yourself and not worrying." he put some enthuses on not worrying.

"What will you do?"

"I will think of something to deal with our problem," he held up the tan book, " its dangerous to let someone like that to go around unchecked, the may end up doing some real damage."

"What happened to staying together?"

"I wont be far," he flipped through the book in his hands, "I can see everything that happened from the spirit world, so I will be at your side all the time, I will just be the other side."

"Somehow that does not seem very comforting." she mumbled to herself as she looked away.

"What was that Sakura-chan?"

"Oh, nothing Kakashi-kun," she replied as she stood up and stretched, "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower and change out of this damn uniform."

"_She has changed so much, and yet in someway she has not changed at all_," he mused in unguarded though, "_she is always worried about everyone other then herself, it__'__s a shame that someone like her had to be pulled into this world of darkness_."

The copy-nin looked down at the book resting in his fingers, he knew things could never go back to the way things where. Even if by some grace of Gaia he could dispose of this human, the pack of Black Spirals and bring back Sasuke, nothing would change. Pulling himself to gather, he decided to fully focus on the task at hand.

Rolling his shoulders he gathered the chakra needed to summon a shadow clone, "Stay here and do your best not to get hit." the copy gave a small nod as a reply.

Leaving things to his clone. Kakashi left via his normal way, through the window, despite the huge leap he landed effetely and silently on the roof below. He had really no idea where Shiroi could be, but this was not the first time he had tracked someone by instinct. The copy-nin lifted his head slightly and sniffed the gentle breeze that drifted by, he did not know her sent, but he would be able to sense anything out of the ordinary. Kakashi would not admit that he was scared slightly when these changes came over his body, but now he was coming to understand it. His nose twitched, as he smelt something unfamiliar, she was near.

With a growl he dropped down to the pavement below, with so many ninja's using the rooftops to move about no one gave him a second look as he landed only inches away from a fellow shinobi. He straitened his jounin vest and casually began to make his way towards the sent; Kakashi did not ignore the negative side of being a Garou among normal humans. The Curse was not easy to live with, people can feel that there is something not right with the werewolf, a Garou's mere presents will cause the primal part of any human's mind to react, telling them to run, but they simply shrug it off and avoid said Garou. But it was this curse that he was going to use to flush out the hunter, if she really did remember and had a weakened veil over her; she would not simply shrug it off.

He stopped himself from grinning when he saw her come into view; Shiroi was fumbling around in her bag, by his guess she was trying to look for her tan book. Slipping his hands into his pockets he kept his gaze striate ahead, never looking directly at her.

Shiroi cursed when she reached the bottom of her backpack and still could not find her diary, now she had to spend the most of her time looking for the damn thing then doing what she came here to do. She really did not want to stay in this ninja village longer then she had too, there was something about it that made her feel uneasy, like she was always being watched. It his her hard and without warning, that all too familiar feeling of oppression that was almost suffocating. Like she wanted to claw out her own windpipe, she had felt it before, the feeling of being in the sights of a predator. The blond outsider froze as she cast her gaze to the right, the flash of silver-grey got her eye, her eyes widened when she saw him, the silver hair, the black mask, and this deathly feeling was unmistakable.

Kakashi did not react as she froze and then picked up her pace, "I'm sorry but I can not hide from this, Sakura, don't hate me for what I may have to do." without looking back he poofed himself away.

--

The Shadow Lord grind to himself as he watched Sakura put on the last of her makeup, being able to see thing from the Umbra was something to could get use too. But there was something he could not shift a feeling uninfluenced by any of the local spirits, a pang of sadness, he wished he could be there with there physically.

"Damn protectiveness nature." he mumbled to himself as she left.

"Hay forehead!" Ino waved from her seat at the back of the club.

"Hi Ino-pig!" she waved back to her rival and best friend.

Shikamaru and Choji where they're as well. Shikamaru had his chunin vest slung over the back of his seat, he stared with his normal bored expression of his face at his drink, giving a small wave as a greeting. Choji was his normal self, always eating, but he seemed even more happy to see her then Ino.

"Where have you been? It was like you disappeared into thin air." Ino asked as Sakura sat down next to her.

"Just been busy with training that's all." the pink-haired medic tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"She brought her team with her! What was she thinking? Doesn't she know how upsetting it is for Sakura." Kakashi growled, still watching from the spirit realm.

He stood by her side for some time, watching as she took her first few sips of her drink. He could tell that she was uncomfortable about this situation; she had lost both of her team-mates so she was feeling a bit out of place here. With a sigh he tore his gaze from his former student, there where no Wyrm-spirits around so far, and there where non-on the edge of his senses, but he was not going to drop his guard just because things looked safe. With a quick glance back to Sakura he left the spiritual reflection of the building to stand under the night sky, the spider-spirits could be seen widening down for the night.

With a great leap he made his way onto the roof of the local club. In this realm he found that he could easily use the Sharingan without the worry of becoming drained, the copy-nin sat on the edge of the buildings flat roof keenly watching over the village, he dropped his chin into his hand.

"I wonder how much time my father spent like this?" he asked himself.

"Many long years, his vigil stayed even in death."

Kakashi did not jump or startle or anyway as the spirit spoke into his ear. Magpie ruffled its feathers, comfortable with its perch on the copy-nin's shoulder.

"It's good to see you old friend."

"Magpie happy to see Kakashi too." the black and white bird chirped.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the spirit as it began to clean its wing like a live one would.

"I have always been here." it puffed out its chest

"I mean why are you here now with me, has something happened?"

"Magpie was worried about Kakashi, Scarecrow feel like Harano."

He razed an eyebrow, "Harano?"

"Kakashi's spirit is morning for what is not yet lost." its eyes glistened as it spoke to the silver-haired shinobi.

"I'm fine."

"LIE" it squawked.

"Fine," the copy-nin sighed, "I'm just worried about Sakura, she is with one of her friends and her team, and seeing as she lost hers, and don't say there's anything between us, I'm just her sensei."

"Stop," the bird cried with another ruffling of feathers, "to many words, start over."

"I love this song! Common Choji." Ino yelled as she pulled said boy to the dance floor with her, leaving Sakura alone with her drink, seeing as the half asleep Nara boy was not much company.

Sakura sighed looking down at her drink, watching the lights dance across its reflective surface.

"So how has Kakashi-sensei been?" Shikamaru asked almost out of the blue.

"He is fine, just a little worried about Naruto and Sasuke." she smiled at him.

"Really? He never seemed the kind to get violent when stressed." he said calmly, remembering what he had heard about Genma.

"Well you see, with someone like him who has been bottling stuff up for most of his life, I guess it just burst." she hoped that this would be enough for the shadow user.

"Then why are you spending so much time with him?"

Crap!

She was struggling to come up with a good excuse when Ino and a tired looking Choji dropped down at the table. Saving Sakura from the investigating chunin.

"I love that song," Ino laughed, "What where you two talking about?"

"Sakura was just about to say why she was spending so much time with Kakashi-sensei." Shikamaru said before Sakura could get a word in.

"Oh?" Ino grinned at her friend, "really do go on."

"I was always fine by myself till my first change, now I can feel It." the Garou racked his hand through his silver hair.

"Wolves are pack spirits, being alone not normal." the bird replied.

Kakashi laid down, his gaze turned up to the red star, "Magpie can I ask you something?"

"Kakashi can always ask, answers may not be spoken." the spirit spoke.

"Kyuubi, what is he?"

"Powerful." the black and white bird cried.

"No I mean," He stopped when he heard the heavy flutter of wings, "I see."

He picked up a dark feather that had fallen from the spirits wing. Rolling it between his thumb and index finger, the feather gleamed silver. He crushed it in the palm of his hand, it felt like crushing ice, a cold tingle that enveloped his hand and traveled down his arm. Sitting back up he could see the spiritual reflections of Sakura and Ino, but there was another dark flicker of movement that told him it was time to go.

"Guess forehead, the way you where trying to avoid questions in there makes it look like you and Kakashi-sensei are an item or something."

"Shut up Ino-pig! There is nothing like that between us, he is just the last team-mate I have left now." she yelled at her friend.

"You sound like you have given up on Sasuke, not like you ever had a chance with him anyway."

The pink-haired medic sighed, "Stuff like that does not matter to me anymore."

"Sakura?"

"Ino," she sighed, eyes cast down but suddenly her body tensed, "Ino we are.."

"I know." she was glad it was one of her rare days where she had next to nothing in the way of drink.

"I don't feel any chakra." Sakura whispered to her friend.

"Same, I don't think they are a ninja."

"You can stop following us now." Sakura yelled to the darkness behind her.

"I'm sorry to invaded on your privacy Sakura-san." Shiroi moved out of her hiding place, closing the gap between them.

"You know her?" Ino glanced at her friend, looking a bit confused.

"Shiroi-san, maybe it is best that we talk alone, there is no need for us to bore others with our talk."

Shiroi's eyes darted from Sakura to Ino then back again, "Sure."

"She asked me to help her with a few things," Sakura explained, "You go on ahead Ino, ill fill you in tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"I will be fine." she gave her friend a reassuring smile.

"Ok then," she sounded sceptical, "I will talk to you later then."

The pink-haired medic sighed in relief as she watched her friend move down the road to her hold, and out of hearing range.

"I'm sorry to bother you at this time of night Sakura-san."

"Don't lie, I know your not."

Shiroi giggled, "Your right, I take it your friend does not know about your lover?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." she growled as she turned to face the outsider.

"Don't play this game with me Sakura, it does not suet you."

"I see." she began to channel chakra to her fist, just in cast thing got out of hand.

"Is there anywhere more appropriate for us to talk? Here does not feel right." Shiroi smiled so sweetly that Sakura wanted to hit her right then and there.

"We can go to the training grounds, no one will be there at this time." she did not wait for a reply before she began to lead the way.

"This is not good, Sakura, don't do anything foolish." Kakashi followed the two women in the spirit realm, looking for somewhere to step-sideways.

"He is a monster! How can you not see that!" the blond yelled, frustrated that she was not getting her point through.

"It's not like that, he is a good man."

"I'm glad you feel that way about me Sakura-chan." a deep male voice sounded just behind the medic.

"Kakashi-kun!"

"You!" Shiroi reached into her backpack to retrieve her weapon, "You monster!"

Sakura moved out in front of her ex-sensei, arm outstretched trying to protect him, "Shiroi don't do this!"

"Sakura," he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Don't this is my fight."

"But Kaka.."

"Don't." that one word was commanding enough to make her stand down.

"So she is human," the silver head of an arrow gleamed in the moonlight, "I don't know how you got her to believe that you are good, but it wont work on me, I have seen what your kind are really like." she aimed the tip at him.

"I have not razed my claws against humans." he told her calmly.

"Don't lie! I was there! You monsters are all the same, hiding in human skin, pretending to be one of us."

"You where there?" Kakashi's brow furrowed, "what happened?"

"I guess I can hummer you as Sakura did with me," she closed her eyes briefly, as if recalling a painful memory, "when I was a child, my father brought home a work mate and guess what, he was… he was…" she stopped, Sakura could tell she was trying not to cry.

"He was a werewolf." Kakashi said in a matter-of-fact way.

"He killed and ate them! I was hiding and saw it all! After that I vowed I would hunt down everyone I could find!"

"I'm sorry for your loss," Kakashi said, "but it's not what you think."

"Shut up!" she screamed as she pulled the trigger.

The arrow struck the copy-nin in the neck. Causing the shinobi to gurgled blood as he feel to his hands and knees, she went to ready another arrow when her would be victim disappeared into a cloud of smoke, the arrow falling to the ground with a light thud. She gasped, wondering what could have happened to the seemingly dieing man.

"You are not a shinobi," Shiroi froze when she realised that Kakashi was right next to her, "so it would be wise if you did not point your weapon at one." his hand reached around and easily destroyed the crossbow.

She jumped away from him, throwing the broken weapon that ended up landing nowhere near him.

"Sakura, don't interfere, you know what has to be done."

"Hai, Kakashi." it hurt her to say that.

Shiroi had never confronted a werewolf as calm as this one, normally they would of showed there true selves after the first arrow, but this one still remained in his human skin. She was sure that he was a wolf, the feeling she got when she was near him was enough to confirm that, grabbing the only real weapon that she had left, one of her arrows, she charged at the Garou.

Kakashi grabbed her wrist easily, "I told you, don't point your weapon at a shinobi." he snarled, black and red eyes glaring at her.

"Wha-What the hell is that?" she yelled on seeing his Sharingan, "you god damn freak! Let me go!"

She struggled but his grip on her tightened, "I can't let you go, not like this." the Sharingan began to spin as her struggling began to weaken, then stopped completely.

"What did you do to her?" Sakura asked when she saw him let go of her, and Shiroi's body fall limply to the ground.

"I just reinforced the Veil on her, she won't have any memory's of my kind, and she will react like normal if she runs into one of us again." he explained whilst rubbing his eye.

Sakura was going to ask what they should do with her till she woke up. When two bird masked ANBU came out of no where to kneel beside Shiroi, one of them took the sleeping blonds arm and slung it around his neck in order to carry her away.

"What is going on here!" Sakura yelled at the masked men picking up the outsider.

Kakashi stood there calm and quite, even as two more ANBU members appeared at his sides.

"I knew you where keeping something from me Kakashi," the Hokage grinned slyly at them as she walked up with more ANBU, "Hatake, to think you really are a full blooded Garou."


	14. Ch 14: One Leader Bows

Kakashi slipped his hands into his pockets, seemingly unphased by the ANBU surrounding him. The copy-nin kept his Sharingan eye closed, not wanting to give the Hokage's guards a reason to attack.

"I can't say I'm at all surprised by this," the slug Sannin said calmly as she approached him, "given your family history."

Sakura watched as her shishou approached her ex-sensei. On the outside she looked shocked that her mentor knew about Kakashi's true self, but somewhere deep inside of her she knew the blonde Sannin had some knowledge about this. Her two teachers stood there looking at each other, their faces calm, plain. The ANBU who had the would be werewolf hunter slung over his shoulder 'poofed' himself away along with his charge.

"Shishou what is going on?!" she asked, whilst keeping an eye on the cat masked ANBU closest to her.

"Indeed, take him away," the Hokage ordered her men, "and keep him away from any reflective serifs."

"Very well, I will not resist Hokage-sama." the copy-nin did not move as the elite ninjas moved in on him.

It surprised the honey-eyed woman to see him react as a dutiful shinobi; she was expecting more resistance from him, considering his breeding.

The ANBU did not even have to raise a hand to the copy-nin, he kept a calm visage as they lead him away. Sakura stayed there rooted to the spot as the cat masked man seemed to ignore her to assist his team-mates. She missed the fact that Tsunade had moved next to her, the pink-haired medic only saw her ex-sensei's back as he was lead away, losing him was always a concern for her, but she always thought it would come by a shinobi's blade or Black Spiral claws but now she realised she could easily lose him at home. And what more it seemed to be happening right before her.

"Sakura." Tsunade's voice brought her around.

"What is going to happen to him?" she never looked at her mentor as she asked.

The silver-haired Garou seemed to sense her distraught state; he stopped walking and looked back at her. The medic's body tensed as his escorts stopped as well, but they did not attempt to force him along in anyway. She saw he winked at her, but it could have been just a blink, it was hard to tell.

"The ANBU blades are lined with silver," there was a hint of concern in the Hokage's voice, "but we both know he is smart enough not to try anything."

Sakura's body started to tremble as the masked elites started to move him along, "Y-You're not planning to kill him are you?"

The honey-eyed woman rose an eyebrow at her apprentice. "What would make you think that?" She turned away from where the ANBU and Kakashi where heading, "Sakura, come with me."

The pink-hared medic hung her head, causing some of the locks to fall across her face as she wrapped her coat tight around her body. The night had seemed to have got very cold very fast, the night he told her to go out and enjoy herself, and night planed for fun was turning into a living nightmare.

"Why did you not tell me anything about this?" Tsunade sighed, over the years she had become a second mother to Sakura.

"How could I? I promised to keep this a secret for Kakashi-kun, and even if I did tell you I thought you would think I was crazy."

"Are you Kin?"

Sakura gave a small nod, "Hai, I was there when he went through his first change."

"And he has never hurt you?"

"Never," her voice did not come out as strong as she would like, "Kakashi would never do anything to hurt me."

"You really think that?"

"No," her voice now had the strength she wished fore earlier, "I know he wont."

The Hokage sighed as the silences seemed to stretch between them, she was worried about her apprentice, but like Sakura she knew that he would never willingly hurt her.

"What about you shishou? How did you know all about this?"

The blonde smirked. "You will see, but lets get into somewhere warm, this could take all night."

They did not speak again till they were safely in the Hokage's office; Sakura gave a small sigh in comfort as they entered the nicely warmed room. Tsunade sat down in her chair as she quietly rolled open a scroll and starting writing. She stopped to glance up at Sakura, it had been a long night for her but all going as planed, it would be over soon.

"Where did you take Kakashi-kun to?"

The Hokage did not have to answer her, as soon as the medic had asked the room was filled briefly with smoke as two of the ANBU and the copy-nin jutsued themselves in. The silver-haired male did not have time to give his signature 'Yo' as Sakura threw her arms around his neck in a suffocating hug. They had been separated for only twenty minutes but to the medic it felt like days.

"I thought you said there was nothing between you two." The Hokage's voice had an edge of laughter to it.

Sakura's face went bright red, but no one could tell as she buried it into his neck. She felt more than heard Kakashi chuckle as he put one arm around her shoulders and placed his chin on top of her head. He could see the mixture of feelings in the Hokage's eyes, she would kill him for this, but she was pleased to see Sakura so happy. He put his other arm around her waste to pull her closer to him; he surprised a smirk as the honey-eyed woman scowled at him.

"Well if you two can pry yourselves away from each other so Sakura can hear me properly," she could hear Sakura make a small 'eep' sound before she turned around in Kakashi's arms, "before you ask yes I am Kin, all of our Hokage's have had some knowledge of the Garou, Kakashi. I'm sure you know that there is something odd about the ANBU masks."

He glanced down to the ANBU on one knee beside him, he remembered his own mask, a wolf, it seemed fitting. The mask always seemed to be imbued with some sort of jutsu, but he could never tell why.

"The masks have been designed to block the effects of the Delirium, and as you know there is silver mixed in with the metal of their blades."

"It sounds like the ANBU ranks where made to fight the Garou." Sakura's brow started to knit together.

"It was more of a defensive measure, when Konoha was first founded a lot of the clans had strong bloodlines from high ranking Garou, but it seems that training the chakra system had a debilitating effect on young Garou, to the point of having the possibility to make them just human kin. But no need to worry Hatake it only effects them if they have not already gone through their first change."

"So you mean chakra manipulation can decrease someone's chance of being a full Garou?" Sakura was now holding tightly onto Kakashi's arm.

"Exactly, and because of that the Garou blood in this village is slowly dying out."

"Was there a long-term plan to use the Garou as weapons? Like the tailed beasts?" Kakashi asked, trying not to sound like he was growling.

"BAKA! The secret idea behind this village was to get around the boundaries that had been put up between human and Garou, the ANBU were to fight off Black Spiral Dancers!"

Kakashi tightened his grip on Sakura, "You seem to know a lot about this, even about my father."

"I was in this even before I was born," she stood up sharply and slammed her hands down on the desk, "the plan was for Garou and Shinobi to face the coming Apocalypse together, the idea's laid down by the founder of this village - a Garou himself - the first Hokage."

Kakashi's visible eye widened, why had he not heard anything like this? Surely something as big as a Garou founding a hidden village would have sent waves across the Garou nation. Keeping something like this a secret would have been impossible too, as the spirits would have whispered about it. The only thing that could have made this happen was the first must have had full support from his Tribe.

The Sannin sighed as she sat back into her chair. "As far as we know, no other village has any knowledge of the Garou, but now lets get down to you two." She wrote something down in the scroll. "I'm surprised that you are Kin Sakura, but then again we have lost track of most of the lines. Kakashi you will be given solo missions from now on, only teaming up with Sakura or ANBU when needed. Now is there anything you want to add?"

Sakura bit her lip. "Umm, well we did run into some trouble, and we will need some contact with Caller-san and ahh..." Kakashi gave her a squeeze.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but we had a run in with Black Spirals and we fear that they may be waiting to attack us," he said plainly.

He could see the anger rise in the Hokage's eyes as her jaw clenched.

"Fine, Hatake you were poisoned on your last mission, Sakura as we don't know what kind of poison it was you are to temporarily move in with him for close observation.

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou."

"Also I will look the other way if there is need for you to leave the village." she said as she noted something down on the scroll.

Sakura took a sigh of relief and leaned back into the Garou behind her, they would not be separated at this point. She did not care that he was hugging her in front of her mentor and second mother, or worry about him getting hurt by a werewolf hunter, ohh ya the hunter!

"What's going to happen to Shiroi?"

"Do you really think I would let someone like that willingly wander about the village? After Kakashi's unnatural behaviour and knowing about his father I wondered if he was full Garou too, so I used her to flush out his true self." she smirked.

"Well then if there is nothing more you need us for..." without waiting for any word from the Hokage, the copy-nin 'poofed' himself and Sakura away.

The two ANBU who had been quiet and still like statues jumped to their feet.

"Leave him," Tsunade ordered, "just make sure our stray deer is taken care of. Dismissed."

--

The Garou and his kin were safely back in his apartment. Despite the familiar and safe surroundings she would not let go of him, Kakashi grinned to himself as he let her hold him. He did not mind this, he was happy to stay there with their arms around each other till she was done. The copy-nin rubbed Sakura's back in what he was hoping to be a comforting manner, he was partly at a loss on what to do, and he could tell she was upset but she was so, quiet.

"I was.."

"Worried about me," he finished her sentence, "I know."

"Look at me," she let go of him and rubbed her face, "I'm meant to be a strong kunoichi, the Hokage's apprentice and I'm falling apart."

"Hey, hey," he cupped her face in his hands, "You are not falling apart, you are Sakura and as long as I have known you, you have always worried about everyone you deeply care for." He ran this thumb over her cheek. "Thank you for caring about me." He gave her his happy eye crease.

She could feel the heat rise in her face, she could tell that the lines in their relationship were becoming blurred. Kakashi let his hands slowly fall away from her, he then backed away to look out the glass doors leading to his balcony, the sun was starting to rise, the cold blue light that was starting to seep into the deep sky.

"You should go to bed, it's been a long day for you." Kakashi said, eye remaining fixed on the sky.

"Hai, I should," she sighed, "things seem to be happening so fast."

He chuckled to himself.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-kun." she gasped realising what she just said, "This must be even worse for you!"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing I can't handle."

There were a few moments of silences between them, the copy-nin keeping his gaze set on the early morning sky as the pink-hared medic closed the gap between them.

"Kaka-kun," she lent up against him, "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm." she knew that was Kakashi for 'yes'.

"Do you ever regret being Garou?"

"No," the answer was not hard to admit to, "weather I am Garou or not would not change the fact this is happening out there, at least now we have a chance to fight."

She gave his arm a squeeze, "I wonder if they will have to fight."

She did not have to explain who 'they' where, he know who she was talking about all to well, "I hope not."

"Are you coming to bed?" the way she said it made them sound like a real item.

"I will be along later, I'm just going to think over some things first."

She did not ask, Sakura knew she was lucky to get the man to open up to her as much as he had, "Night them Kaka-kun." She gave his arm a quick hug.

He looked down at his hand when he heard the door close. Watching his nails turn from normal to long black claws and back again, closely observing how the rest of his hand strained, not being allowed to shift along with them.

"Control comes later," he said to himself, "so why do I have perfect control at times like this, but when it matters I can feel myself on the point of frenzy!" He sighed, trying to remember what he was told about it. "Frenzy is a defensive mechanism, it can be triggered by extreme hunger, large amounts of silver nearby, being severely wounded or seeing a pack-mate wounded or any strong emotion like envy, hate or lust."

He froze, lust, would that mean that he could end up hurting or killing Sakura if they…. No. He was her sensei; he was too old for her, nothing like that could happen between them. Yet one part of him told him that he was Garou and she was Kin, Gaia had practically made it for them to be together. He raked his hand through his silver mane, his mind would straighten itself out after a good night's sleep. He stopped himself there, she was in his bed - damn - he crouched down onto all fours and forced himself into his wolf form. It was easier for him to be in the same bed as her this way, no human hands to wander in their sleep and he was sure she felt the same. Has she ever shared a bed with a man before? Sure their where mission that required them to share sleeping quarters but nothing like this.

Silently he padded into the bedroom; the shuriken-print cover was down around her waste. Slowly he stepped onto the bed, trying not to wake her in the proses.

"Kaka-kun." she mumbled in her sleep.

The wolf froze, even holding his breath till he was sure she would not wake up. When he was sure no movement would wake her he settled himself down, taking the covers between his jaws to pull them up over them. As he played his head down he realised that he would never get her scent out of his bedding.

--

Sakura stirred as she raised her sleep-ridden arms up to rub her face.

"Morning." a voice growled to her.

Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she saw the familiar sight of a silver-grey wolf sat on the edge of the bed. Looking about for his clock she saw it smashed on the bedroom floor, the back pulled open and teeth marks visible on the ceasing. The wolf's red and gold eyes where set on the window, keen, wild eyes that Sakura was happy to not have fixed on her. Yet a part of her wanted him to look at her with those eyes, like they would give her more insight into the man if she could gaze into them if only for a moment.

"What's the time?" she yawned, trying not to give anything away.

"Don't know," he snorted in a very wolf-like manner, "But the sun is starting to set."

"W-What?" she could not believe that she seeped all day.

"Don't worry about it," he flopped onto his back, turning back into his human form, "You heard Hokage-sama, I'm poisoned and need you to keep an eye on me."

"But I can't believe I slept all day I.. Crap Ino!"

"Hummm?"

"I was with her when Shiroi showed up, I said I would meet with her today!"

The copy-nin chuckled, "I'm sure she had found out where you are and has been informed about it, so she won't feel like you stood her up."

"I guess you're right." she said, trying to resist going back to sleep.

"We will have to get ready before its completely dark, they wont risk an attack out in daylight, the Wyrm does not want itself known any more then us Garou."

"Hai," she sighed, "Kaka-kun, as a Garou do you ever get any strange dreams?"

"Strange dreams?" he rose an eyebrow at her, "I do."

"I have been having this same dream, not every night, but most. I'm being chased by a giant black dog, no matter how fast or how long I run for I can't get away from it, when I think its just about to get me someone jumps in and kills it."

"Oh?" he rolled onto his front and held himself over her, hands either side of her head, "And who is this saviour of yours?"

She looked away from him, a slight blush on her face, "It's you."

"When did this start?" It was not really the dream he wanted to be in.

"From the point I first met you, but it was never clear that it was you till a few months before your first change."

"I see." he said as he pushed himself away.

Sakura slow sat up, dangling her legs over the side of the bed and resting her head against the top of his arm, "Things are going to get weird." she said, listening to the blood rush through his arm.

"More than you know," he glanced down at her, "More than you know."

--

Kakashi watched the stars sparkle in the night sky. It was a pleasant night or it would be if he could shift this feeling of dread. He had been constantly on edge and could not turn off no matter how hard he tried. Everything was telling him that tonight would be the night the Dancers make their move.

"I know that look," Sakura said, coming up from behind him, "And I don't even need to see your face, something it going to happen right?"

He raked his hand through his silver hair, "All of my instincts are telling me so, but we can't act on a feeling."

"But your feelings have never been wrong, remember back when we were in wave, and you had a feeling Zabuza was still alive."

"That was different."

"But you were still right Kaka-kun," she pulled on her gloves, "it beats looking over our shoulders day after day."

Kakashi picked at the flaking paint of the balcony railing and scratched at the exposed metal, she smiled at him. It was something he would do when he was deep in thought, she first noticed it when they where in wave, he would scratch at the metal guards on the back of his gloves.

"Don't worry Kaka-kun, you were able to kill one of them, now that we are better prepared we are going to be fine."

He was going to comment about her telling him not to worry for a change, when a long, deep howl ripped through the night.

"W-Was that them?" her eyes where wide.

"No, that was Caller-san's howl, he needs help."

She grabbed hold of his arm as he went to jump over the railing, "Wait! I'm coming as well, even if you do have outstanding healing I can still help."

"If the Black Spirals are there you could get killed! You must understand if we go neither on us could come back, this has more risk then a S-Rank mission!"

He did not have to tell her that, but by kami he was not going to let him go alone. Her grip on his arm tightened, maybe she should have thought it through more but she knew she would have regretted not doing it in the long run. Using her strength she pulled him towards her and pressed her lips to his cloth covered ones. He gasped but did not pull away, his body relaxed for the first time that night as he wanted to lean into her warmth, but his feet felt rooted to the spot. The death grip on his arm loosened as she pulled away leaving Kakashi with a great sense of loss.

"In case one of us does not come back." He could see the blush on her face as she spoke.

It almost killed him to see her shy away after being so bold. He cupped her face in his hands and slowly brought his lips to hers, kissing her as deeply and as tenderly as the mask would allow.

"In case we do both comeback." He whispered into her ear.

* * *

Sorry it has been so long, vistaing family so writing time has been limited. and your eyes are not play tricks on you, this Ch has been beta'ed

there may be a delay with the next part so in the meantime i have uploaded an old storythat i had on Fanlib, so feel free to check out How The Wolf Howls

stay safe out there Mistrunner


	15. Ch 15:Red moon, Silver rain

sorry it has been so long, ended up redoing this chapter about 3 times - and this one is un-betaed as well

sorry for the slaking enjoy

* * *

The giant dire wolf ran as fast as his lean legs could carry him. His footfalls silent on undergrowth and branch alike as he made his way towards where the howl was last heard, the cries of the wondering pack had long fallen silent. The medic on his back kept her face berried in his fur as the wind and stray tree limbs whipped past her at high speed. Kakashi was always late for everything but he prayed to Gaia that just once he was not late, that he would get there in time to help. But the smell of blood seemed to be everywhere.

Gathering the rushing air in his lungs. Kakashi let out a howl of his own, the howl was lased with rage and frustration, he was not going to be late, not this time. He was not going to let down Caller's pack like he let down Naruto, his legs screamed out in protest as he poured more chakra into them to increase his speed. Sakura dug her knees into his sides, every jarring landing from tree to forest floor threatened to throw her off, and she knew falling at this speed would be deadly.

But she would not deny to herself that part of her was enjoying this. The adrenalin rush from the consent danger, the feeling of Kakashi moving under her. The copy-nin howled again, deep, long and wild. He dug his claws into the dirt to slow himself down, but what he was expecting to be soled earth turned out to be nothing more then mud.

With a yelp of surprise the elite shinobi had to work to keep himself on his paws, Sakura grumbled something as she went to get off his back, but stopped when she saw how interested in the earth Kakashi was. The slender grey wolf padded about like he was going to be bitten if he stayed in one spot for to long. With his head down and constantly sniffing the mud, Kakashi was confused as to why the ground was so muddy, it had not rained in days, and he had not felt any chakra so this was not the result of a jutsu. But it did not take the wolf's keen nose long to work it out. The land of the fire country had become sodden with blood.

"What is it Kaka-kun?" Sakura asked, noticing the change in how he behaved.

He looked over his shoulder at her before turning his gaze back down to the bloody mud he was standing in. his hart dropped, he was too late. His only hope not was that some where still alive.

"Stay on my back," he growled, "and if I tell you to run, do so."

The copy-nin padded deeper into the forest, the mixer of blood and earth seemed everywhere. It felt like he would find Caller's pack slaughtered, a message from the Black Spiral Dancers, revenge for the death of the Alphas brother.

Kakashi pulled his paw back in time for the jaws of the brown wolf to close on empty air.

"Caller-san!" Sakura called his name, recognising the wolf instantly.

"Forgive me Kakashi," the small lupine looked up at the giant storm-grey wolf, "I was worried you where one of them that had come back to finish us off."

"The Black Spirals." it was more of a statement then a question as Kakashi looked over Caller. The Bone Gnawer's fur was matted with blood, and his flanks where adorned with fresh wounds.

"You better follow me back to the camp, we are as good as dead if they come back." it was only when he started to walk did Kakashi and Sakura notes the limp on one of his hind legs.

The short track back was quite and solemn. A normal man would have been horrid at what they saw, but the copy-ninja, Kakashi Hatake, elite shinobi and Garou was far from normal. Tress lay uprooted or splinted off from their base; the earth was dry and cracked in one place, but oddly sodden in another. He felt Sakura clime down off his back, but her hand still lingered on his shoulder, she had seen death and destruction on this level before, heck he knew she could uproot the trees herself without breaking a sweat. But this time, there was hesitation to leave his side.

"Kaka-kun." she spoke his name, but his eyes never turned to her.

The mismatched eyes of gold and ruby stayed on a row of fallen Garou at the far side of the camp come battleground, the pack had lost many, but he could see no sign of one Dancer meeting there end here.

"I was to late, just like last time." the silver-grey wolf sighed, turning back into his breed forum.

"Not totally," Caller looked up at him, "Sight-of-snow is critly wounded, she says she wont die till has told you something, but…" the brown wolf shook his head, "she does not have much time."

Kakashi's missed matched eyes settled on the salt and pepper furred wolf lying on her side by a fallen tree. Sakura griped onto his hand, not caring about the mud that covered him from the walk here. He squeezed her hand back, running his thumb over her nukes.

"Sakura-chan, go and help the wounded."

She knew it was his way of telling her that he needed to her what the old shaman had to say on his own.

"Ok Kaka-kun." she let go of his hand, and for the first time in the night, left his side.

Even though his eyes never left from the old shaman, Kakashi knew the pack was watching him, he could feel their eyes on his skin like tiny pin pricks as he made his way to Sight. The wolf's chest rose and fell in a sluggish, broken rhythm, kneeling down beside her, he wounded if she had the strength left to talk.

"So you finally came." the aged wolf said, only opening her eyes but having no strength to lift her head.

"I'm sorry," he brushed the back of his hand over her shoulder, "this is all my fault."

"No, we all knew that this day would come, even if some of us resented the fact that we would die this way. But I was never one of them, my glory days are over, but my hart is joyful that the pups get to live on," she winced in pain, "as long as Gaia lives so will we Garou."

Kakashi lowered his head, allowing Sight to save some strength by not needing to talk so lowed.

"When your fangs have tasted the flesh of the shadows, the blade will be cleansed as will its owner. When the jaws of hell are poised to bite, the laughter of rage will bow to the unspoken word, finish was another has started, but remember, your lucky colour is red." with thaws last words, her eyes fluttered closed and her chest ceased to rise.

"Cryptic to the end." the copy-nin sighed.

Mournful howls broke out around him as he leaned back. Letting his head fall back eyes cast skywards like so many times since his first change, Sakura shivered as the cascade of howls resonated around her, the magnitude of voices seemed to mingle into one unified howl, but there was one that did not mingle or merge with the others. One that stood out, a deep, rich voice, Sakura recognised it, it was Kakashi's. She could not take her eyes off him, head thrown back, eyes closed, it did seem odd seeing him howl like that, in his human form, but it offered the medic a rare glimpse of the real him. The Kakashi she always knew, but a clear showing of the animal he is at hart.

The call of the pack died down, but his voice lingered on. It was like him, everything about him, the way he always seemed different from the others around him, living with them but always standing out, never blending with the other villagers. Like they knew from birth, he was not human.

"It's the same," Caller muted to himself, "his howl, it's the same."

Kakashi's howl ended abruptly, like he just realised what he was doing. Raking his hand through his silver hair, he got up and started to make his way back to Sakura, she could see by the way he moved that he was totally focused on something.

"Caller-of-rats." the copy-nin barked the Bone Gnawers name, casein the wolf to flinch.

"Kakashi," Caller lowered his head, "I'm sorry th…."

"Save it!" the silver haired Garou snarled, "I have some questions for you!"

All could felt the Rage following from him. The wondering pack started to shift into there war and wolf forms, ready to fight if it should come to it, there own rage still high from the fight with the Black Spiral pack, with the air charged it would not take much to trigger a fight that would end in at least one Garou's death. And with there eyes set on the Shadow Lord, it was easy to tell who that would be.

"He will not answer anything you have to say mongrel!" a Crinos form Garou snarled, his fur was white as newly fallen snow with highlights of silver that gleamed in the moonlight, a gold chain hung around its neck, the pendent adorned with the crest of his tribe.

"But Talon he."

"Don't talk back to me!" the white wolf snarled, "I am Alpha here!"

The Silver Fang made his ways over to the copy-nin, sizing up the shinobi as he went, the size difference between the two forms become clear to see as Talon towered over him. Golden eyes keen with rage meet mismatched ones as he rose to his full height.

"Too long," he growled at Kakashi, "too long have I tolerated you! If it was not for your presents here I would not have lost half my pack and the spirit of that wretched White Fang would of remained asleep!"

Kakashi was taken back a bit, "What did you say!"

"You mean you have not felt it?" Talon laughed, razing a clawed hand, "you are pathetic."

Talon brought his hand down, intent on clawing the copy-nin across the face. Kakashi, as quick as lightning, pulled a kunai out of his pouch that he had bound to him, the same way he had done this clothes, and slashed the Garou's paw, the blade biting into the palm of his hand. It was enough to drive the attack away.

Talon looked at the already healing cut on his paw and smirked, "What where you thinking? To come here armed is one thing, but for the blade to be nothing more then steel!"

"I did not come here to fight you or the Black Spirals if they where still here," Kakashi held up the blade, the Silver Fang's blood clearly showing on its edges, "but I wont need silver to kill you if you stand in my way!"

Laughter sounded around them as the pack of werewolves begins to cercal around. Sakura felt something tug at her deep inside her, telling her that he was in danger, but before she could think about running to him, she was pulled back into a muscular furred body.

"Don't," Caller whispered to her, "this is the fight between the two of them."

"Why are you in your war form then?"

"Encase things get out of hand, this is more then a fight for dominance."

Sakura pushed herself away from the brown werewolf, "Kaka-kun is not interested in stuff like that!"

Caller smirked, "Its not that simple, though it may seem like it from the outside. To get the answers he wants he will need rank, it's not to different from how your shinobi ranks work, to either way he needs to prove himself."

"Shed that frail human form, we will make this a formal fight! A fight of honor in the eyes of the spirits." Talon snarled, trying to rile up the calm copy-nin.

"But this will have more meaning to it," Caller sighed, laying his ears down, "our history is carried down through the generations by song and firelight tale, and as the gibbous moon its my job to know them all, and this pack has a very interesting history."

They cast their gaze over to the cercal of werewolves. The snow-white Garou snarled insults at the Shadow Lord; Kakashi was keeping his cool through the constant goading of the Silver Fang.

"Kakashi's father fought against Talon's in circumstances not too different from this. Talon was, unlike most Garou, born and raised in this pack." Caller told Sakura, his voice lowered so the others would not hear.

"So he saw the fight?" she asked him, eyes never leaving Kakashi.

The brown werewolf nodded, "The White Fang of Konoha defeated Talon's father, another ragabash by the deed name of Splits-the-Night, unfortrenly, both the Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords are prideful tribes. Kakashi's father did not kill him but Splits did not survive the fight."

"So Talon feels like this fight would redeem his father's pride?"

Caller nodded, Sakura bit her lip as Kakashi sidestepped another half-hearted swipe at him. The Silver Fang was just warming up before he really challenged the copy-nin, but Kakashi had already seen through this game and was already using it to his advantage, watching how Talon moved, taking note of his dominant arm and leg, the way he shifted his weight before an attack. And the way his attacks would only be aimed at the chest and head.

Grinning darkly, Talon through his head backwards and let lose a thunders howl that seemed to make the other Garou jump.

Kakashi grinned under his mask, "Challenge accepted."

Clear-sky, the only Garou other then Kakashi that had remained in their human form, stepped out between them.

"She is our master of challenge," Caller answered Sakura's unasked question, "by law our fights are never to the death. But with our rage we do run the risk of killing each other in the heat of the fight," he looked down at the pink-haired medic, "are you worried that Kakashi may lose?"

Normally she would be. She would by now be trying to convince him to back down, go back home and try to find another way to get what he was looking for. But no matter what, he is Kakashi, the copy-ninja, there was no way he would die right here.

"No, I have seen him fight, tonight you will see why he is feared by even the strongest shinobi." she could not help but smirk.

"You best change your skin," Clear-sky told Kakashi, but she never looked at him, "or I wont be able to ensure your safety."

"I will be fine." he said bluntly, mismatched eyes never leaving the Silver Fang.

"Nothing will be able to help you in this fight." Talon snarled, reaching for the sward that hung at his side.

"You know Klaives are forbidden in combat like this!" the small Garou stopped, as the tip of the silver blade was only inches from her face.

"Are you going agents me Clear -sky? Eh, eh! Answer me Clear-sky!"

She turned her face away, keeping her eyes to the ground.

"I thought so." he growled, turning his cold copper eyes back to Kakashi.

Clear-sky raised her hand in the air, eyes darting from one combatant to the other. Letting out a breath she dropped her arm and jumped back, the duel had begun.

The Crinos forum was always deceptive; the 6-foot of meat, fangs and fur was surprisingly fast. But Talon had underestimated the seeped of the copy-nin, and sparks flew as blade meet blade. Kakashi had managed to block the silver Klaive only inches from his face; a large grove had already been cut into the copy-nin's kunai. The sharp screech of metal on metal set everyone's teeth on edge as the white furred werewolf pushed forwards. Confident that he had his opponent overpowered, he readied himself to strike with his free hand, Talon howled as his claws cut deep into flesh, or what he thought was flesh, the werewolf's claws had clawed a sizable chunk out of the log.

"Don't think that your cheap tricks will work on me!" the Solver Fang snarled, turning his blade around to strike behind him.

The tip of the Klaive dug into the top of his leg, but he ignored it. After being wrapped in silver, the bite of the blade was nothing, Kakashi could of easy dodged the blade, but he needed a clear shot and he was not going to pass this up. In one swift movement he plunged the kunai deep into the Garou's elbow, Talon snarled in pain as his arm went dead and his grip loosened on his weapon, the copy-nin ducked under a clumsy attack as his opponent swung the blade around. The momentum of then attack sending the Garou weapon sliding from his fingers.

Kakashi lessened to the blood roaring in his ears, as he stood partly sideways to Talon, keeping his injured right leg away from him. The Silver Fang tried to pull the blade free, but the kunai was firmly lodged into the bone and in its weakened state, snapped under the Garou's strength.

"I see," Talon growled as he looked over the lump of metal in his paw, "you did not doge the attack so you could weaken your weapon, and remaining in your human form insured you had a clear head for your jutsu," he snorted, "but it wont do you much good, it will get pushed out when I heal!"

"That's fine," Kakashi, said in a monotone voice, "I will have you bare you through to me before that happens."

"Cocky basted," Talon barked, "Just like your sire!"

"You better pick up your weapon," the copy-nin growled, shifting into his war form, " now is when the fight really starts!"

Talon looked at the blade that now lie at the edge of the ring, "Na," he grinned, "I am Ahroun, born under a full moon, I will use my claws and revel in the feeling of your blood washing us both with its heat."

The two Garou charged each other, colliding with a sickening thud. Talon's fangs found the flesh of Kakashi's shoulder; the silver fangs bite almost severing the arm, the shear force of the blow causing the ninja to fall on his back, the white Garou on top of him. Kakashi ran his claws down his opponents sides, drawing deep crimson in the snow, the pain from the almost severed arm he could ignore, it was not the first someone had try to dismember him. Using a jutsu to sink into the safety of the earth, the silver fang had no other option then to let go.

The Silver Fang snarled as his eyes darted around for his opponent, suppressing a wince as the wounds on his sides refused to stop bleeding, '_damn shadow basted__'_ he held his side, feeling the warmth of his blood flow over his hand, he was in no danger of bleeding to death, but the would was not helping any.

Kakashi's clawed hand grabbed a hold of his leg, intent on pulling him into the earth.

Talon grappled the copy-nin's wrist, "I told you," he pulled his opponent up out of the ground, "your cheap tricks wont work on me!"

The Silver Fangs claws only brushed the fir on Kakashi's chest, but it was like he had been hit full force by Sakura. The attack physically did no damage, but Kakashi was sent flying back to the rings edge, he would of collided with the circling Garou if he was not so fast to control his fall, or they where slower in jumping out the way.

"I have killed may shinobi over the years, your jutsu wont work on us, every Garou can feel the flux of spirit energy that is made by your chakra."

"So you know when ill attack, but I know more 'tricks' then you could grasp." he grinned, " _but that gift, it__'__s the same that the Black Spiral had.__"_

Kakashi, as fast a lightning, ran though some hand signs as he took in a deep breath. The white furred werewolf felt the twinge of chakra releasing from his chest. The Shadow Lord throw his head forwards, letting out a fireball from his mew, the heat of it forcing the pack back a few paces, Talon however, stood his ground, grinning as the fire engulfed him.

Kakashi's brow furrowed, "He did not doge."

A howl echoed through the night. To humans it would seem like a normal howl, but it was nothing more then laughter, the raging orange fires burst into silver flames as they began to die down, clearly now under the Silver Fangs control

"I told you jutsu wont work!" Talon growled, the silver flames dancing on his fur, "now its time to show you how powerless you really are!" he snarled and pointed at Kakashi.

To the copy-nin it felt like a door had been slammed shut inside of him, the horrid yet familiar feeling of having his chakra sealed away. His body shuddered as, against his will, he began to turn back into his human form, the pain from his wounded shoulder starting to set in and his body strained from trying to turn back into his Crinos form, he had no chakra, no gnosis, and was unable to shape shift, he had not felt this way for a long time. He felt powerless, he felt human.

Sakura could not take her eyes off Kakashi. His hair seemed longer and wilder then normal, even from the view spot at the back of the pack; she could clearly see the feral look in his eyes. The wound around his shoulder had stopped bleeding, but it was no where near fully healed, Talon blushed the remaining splinter of kunai out of his arm as he looked over his opponent, something was not right. The gift he used temporally striped Kakashi of his Garou powers and blocked his chakra, but it seemed the more he strained against the gift; the more he seemed to slip into his wolf mind.

Talon laughed, "I heard White Fang mated in his wolf form, with a human wife." he goaded his opponent.

The Silver Fang had stepped way over the mark with that comment. Kakashi dropped to all fours where he seemed to disappear from sight, Talon blinked a few times in shock, but was soon violently brought back to his senses as he was punched in the face, his head snapping to the side as Kakashi landed a powerful right hook. The copy-nin placed his feet firmly on the Garou's chest as he grabbed at the scruff of his neck with his left hand, pulling his right back for another attack. The Silver Fang suffered another two attacks before he gathered his wits about him and grappled onto Kakashi.

"How?" he snarled, "where is this strength coming from?"

"Hell if I know." Kakashi yelled, right before he kicked himself free.

In truth he really did not know what had come over him. When that gift took a hold it felt like he was about to collapsed from chakra exestuation, but when he insulted his parents, something snapped inside of him, like his rage was able to brake through and come to his aid.

"Well it seems some thing has granted you some power, but it will do you little good!"

Talon throw his arms up and head back. Letting out another fearsome howl as the moonlight washed over him, Kakashi's eyes widened as he watched ever strand of fur, every claw, every fang, all of Talon's body become living silver.

"Shit," Caller growled, "this is bad."

"What is that!"

"Luna's Avenger, a gift only blessed to the highest ranking Silver Fangs," he sighed, "So he really does plan on destroying Kakashi."

"With this," the Silver Fang roared, "I will wash the name of Splits-the-Night clean with your blood!"


End file.
